POULTRY CARETAKER ROBOT TO IMPROVE ANIMAL WELL-BEING

The technical goal of phase II is to develop a commercially viable poultry Caretaker robot to improve animal well-being and reduce labor costs. The poultry Caretaker will autonomously navigate the broiler barn, stimulate the flock, till up caked bedding with its spiked wheels and identify mortality occasions. These deliverables have been requested by industry and a willingness to pay for a robots-as-a-service business model has been demonstrated. The technical objectives build upon the early success of the phase I USDA grant concluding Feb. 2023 and are as follows:1) Integration of reliable localization with navigation, computer vision and obstacle avoidance algorithms previously developed in Phase I2) Development of Mortality Indication and Avoidance System3) Creation of Fundamental Barn Route Planning System4) Testing Spinner RPM for Mobility through Flock and Redistribution of Flock Density