S1: BCG acknowledges the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia and
S1: their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our
S1: respects to their elders, past and present.
S2: Welcome back to Shared Solutions by BCG. I'm Janine Batters
S2: in the fourth episode of our series On the Horizon: Farm Tech,
S2: sponsored by GE silos, I'm chatting to Bailey Kilpatrick from
S2: SwarmFarm about their autonomous farming technology. Welcome, Bailey.
S3: G'day, Janine. It's good to be here.
S2: So good to have you today. Now, first I thought
S2: I would start. Can you just give me a little
S2: bit of a history about SwarmFarm , please?
S3: SwarmFarm originated on a family property in central Queensland, about
S3: 40 minutes south of Emerald. And it's designed with the
S3: agronomy of farming in mind. SwarmFarm started on farm, is
S3: designed by farmers for farmers and all Australian owned and made.
S2: Okay, tell me a little bit about your role.
S3: So I work in the Central Queensland region as a
S3: portfolio manager. And what that means is basically that the
S3: growers that are running the machines today, I look after
S3: the operations side of that, and then some of the
S3: sales for the new ones coming through.
S2: So can you tell me SwarmFarm makes SwarmBots ? What
S2: are SwarmBots ?
S3: Yeah. So a SwarmBot is a robot that we build.
S3: It's a it's an autonomous platform that is designed with
S3: a farmer in mind to then put an attachment on
S3: the back of it to then. Yeah, go out to
S3: the field and do the job.
S2: So how do they actually work?
S3: There's a few parts to them. The main three components
S3: or the main three parts of a swarm bot. It's
S3: a diesel engine, so it's a diesel powered machine, four
S3: wheel drive. And they run only inside a mapped area.
S3: So you've got to have a geocache like a mapped
S3: area for them to then traverse and drive within.
S2: And so if I wanted to get a SwarmBot, but
S2: what would be the first step?
S3: So the first step is looking at your farm and going, righto,
S3: control traffic three metre centers and I'm 24m. If I
S3: want a robot, then we provide the orange and silver bit.
S3: And what I mean by that is the the technology
S3: for the dare I say it, tractor. Andrew is going to
S3: kill me. The the robot is what we provide. So
S3: the first step is looking at your your farm and
S3: then deciding what configuration you need, and then pairing that
S3: with an attachment that goes on the back of our robot,
S3: that then from start to finish we'll support it. And
S3: then there's a layer of training that's involved and mapping
S3: your farm or bringing maps in so the robot knows
S3: what it can and can't do.
S2: Okay, so knowing what you want your robot to do,
S2: knowing what sort of tramlines you want it on, and
S2: then educating yourself on how to use it. So are
S2: there different models?
S3: There's only one model. So the history of Swarm, circling back to that,
S3: it started the very first one was a like a
S3: John Deere Gator that did a project with us on
S3: to do an autonomous light vehicle. From there it grew
S3: to a three wheel electric powered machine. And then after
S3: the three wheeled one, the the four wheel design came out,
S3: which is SwarmBot five, what we call a SwarmBot five now.
S3: So that's the one model, so to say, that we build.
S3: 75 horsepower hydraulic drive and the variation comes in your
S3: axle sizes and axle heights to suit either two, 3
S3: or 4 metre centres. If you're in an orchard, you
S3: want a low to the ground two metre wide machine
S3: perfect for that. If you're in Broadacre, which has sort
S3: of been our big uptake market, that's sort of been
S3: the lowest hanging fruit. What we've done most in is broadacre. Generally,
S3: three metre centres is pretty common and what we'd call
S3: a high chassis. So that's the next step up in
S3: axle size just to get a bit of crop clearance.
S2: Okay, so have you thought about getting any bigger?
S3: Not in terms of weight and size bigger for different applications.
S3: So what we need at the moment is powder ground
S3: for ground, engaging gear. Our our market has been in
S3: tow behind sprayers. They don't take a huge amount of
S3: horsepower to pull. It means we can keep our weight
S3: really light for a 24 metre boom. For example, will
S3: be eight ton loaded so you can get on the
S3: ground nice and early. We don't want to go bigger
S3: because that's going away from where SwarmFarm began. The idea
S3: with the Swarm is you've got lots of small, lots
S3: of lightweight machines doing the job that you'd think of
S3: one big one doing. So the reason why we aren't
S3: going bigger is because we believe that you can do
S3: the same job with less horsepower and less weight. There
S3: are limitations, of course, once you get into planting or
S3: bigger mowing or raking, that does require some more design,
S3: but we've got a full mechanical design team and everything's
S3: done in-house from the software development, the chassis design, R&D,
S3: everything's built and designed on farm, so it gets tested
S3: here and then we break it, fix it and then
S3: take it, take it to market after that. That's why
S3: we're not big.
S2: It's all made in Australia. That that is a really
S2: cool point. So I'm just thinking in terms of you're
S2: talking about how it's being used in broadacre the optical sprayers.
S2: Are you saying, would you use a lot of these
S2: SwarmBots instead of a big self-propelled? Or are you saying
S2: that you would have a self-propelled for when you really
S2: need to get over it nice and quick before a rain,
S2: and have the little bots going when you don't necessarily
S2: need to be done straight away, but you want to
S2: get the job done.
S3: That's a really good question. So Andrew's brainchild, the concept
S3: was to have lots of lightweight machines, hence the name
S3: Swarm that's grown into what we have now. So our
S3: largest boom is 27m wide and we tow a payload
S3: of just over 3000l. So 3000 litre chem tank with
S3: a freshwater flush tank is our. That's our largest setup
S3: at the moment. We have a maximum speed of ten
S3: kilometres an hour and we generally work if you have
S3: a 24 meter arrangement, 20 hectares per hour is what
S3: you'll benchmark on. So if you're looking at a SwarmBot
S3: as a replacement for your sprayer, it's probably not what
S3: we'd specialise in. It's more to pair with your existing
S3: spray setup, so we don't want to replace your Broadacre sprayer.
S3: That's not really what we're about. We're more using this
S3: as a tool, as an autonomy tool and a maintenance
S3: tool to go across your paddock more frequently with lower
S3: water rates, high chemical rate with a spot sprayer. And
S3: that's sort of where it's fit into the industry really well,
S3: because you don't need to go out there and race
S3: into your paddock and do it in a mad rush because
S3: the rain's coming, because you've already been across it three
S3: times with your SwarmBot . And that's where I don't
S3: think we'll replace a self-propelled. They've certainly got a seat
S3: in the industry and wouldn't say that we're replacing them,
S3: but it's sort of working with them to go. You
S3: can put the hours on a SwarmBot , and it's
S3: a better return on investment than, say, putting 10,000 hours
S3: on your self-propelled machine.
S2: How many hours can they take these SwarmBots before you
S2: have to recycle them?
S3: Our end of life is around 15,000 hours. And what
S3: I mean by an end of life is a full rebuild.
S3: So at the moment we've got machines running with 10,000
S3: hours plus and they're absolutely fine. We are new to
S3: the industry, so we're still learning and growing. Um, but
S3: that's that's our lifespan is 15.
S2: So I was thinking when you were talking about having
S2: it running and having the self-propelled and the SwarmBot that
S2: perhaps you could just let it do the jobs that
S2: weren't high priority. But I was also thinking about perhaps
S2: you're getting a better kill because you're going to go
S2: over that paddock when maybe you wouldn't have otherwise because
S2: you don't have the time.
S3: Yeah, absolutely. It's coming into an agronomy decision more than
S3: a time based decision. So they're not a self-sufficient machine.
S3: I suppose it's a question that we get a lot.
S3: Maybe a misconception that we have is it should do everything.
S3: Why have we got to look after it so much?
S3: It's another little worker. Yes. Once you do the mapping
S3: and planning and you have your farm and your your
S3: maps laid out, you do the rest from your phone.
S3: So you operate it on an Apple iOS device and
S3: that's your that's your interface. So that's your tractor screen
S3: is your phone. You walk around with your tractor screen
S3: in your pocket and you can check on it. It'll
S3: send you notifications of when it needs filling up fuel,
S3: when it needs chemical, it'll send you. If it's a
S3: sprayer with a weather station fitted, it'll send you notifications
S3: for the weather parameters that you've set if it gets
S3: close to the boundaries of those parameters, if it leaves
S3: the parameters, if it stops for an obstacle, it's definitely
S3: not a set and forget machine. They do take some running,
S3: but it's freeing up, I suppose, one of your workers
S3: to be fencing or checking troughs while they can look
S3: at their phone and go yep, Bob's still spraying. He's
S3: got about 50 hectares to go. And that's that's sort
S3: of where they come into their own. So you can
S3: set it off 6:00 at the night, it'll start spraying
S3: and then through the night if it goes outside the
S3: spray boundaries that you've set, it'll pull up. Go to sleep.
S3: We've got a sleep passive state where it'll just shut
S3: the engine off and keep the GPS running, keep the
S3: weather station running. That sort of technology will stay on.
S3: And then once it's back inside its boundaries, that's perfect
S3: for spraying. It'll start up and it might be 2:00
S3: in the morning, but it'll continue on its way. And
S3: when you wake up out of bed and you're like, oh,
S3: how good is that? It's done.
S2: That is very good. I like that you've applied that
S2: to sleep too, because that's so important for farmers. So
S2: you're talking about you needed somebody to operate it all
S2: the time. Can you talk me through the process of
S2: what that looks like on your. Like how do you
S2: just get it set up on your iPad because it
S2: only works on Apple. That's right.
S3: Yeah. Yeah that is correct. So Apple's the um the
S3: only device that we're integrating with at the moment, from
S3: the initial stages of getting your SwarmBot , you'll, you'll
S3: integrate either your pre-existing maps from your John Deere Ops
S3: center or Trimble maps. We have a farm manager website
S3: that is needed to operate a SwarmBot . So we've
S3: got a dedicated software team that's built a platform where
S3: you can bring your maps to farm manager or grab
S3: a GPS drive around in the buggy, map all your obstacles,
S3: map all your paddocks, get it set up so you
S3: know exactly where it's going to spray, where it's going
S3: to start and finish and fill points and map all
S3: your internal roads, etc. where you want to send it.
S3: But yeah, it does take some running.
S2: It is good though, that you can use the maps
S2: that you've already got because they take a lot of time,
S2: so it's nice to just be able to transfer those
S2: across in regards to just maps in general. Bailey. If
S2: it's taking maps, if it's making an EM map or
S2: something like that, can you integrate those with your other software?
S3: Unfortunately, we can't just yet. So specifically for an EM unit,
S3: that's a another supplier that's attaching an EM unit to
S3: one of our SwarmBots and then using the SwarmBot to
S3: continue on the path. So instead of driving up and
S3: back in the ute , the SwarmBot can do 7 to $10
S3: an hour, which is ideal for EM mapping, and it'll
S3: chug along there and just go up and back your
S3: AB lines, and then from there it'll send that data
S3: to that suppliers.
S2: So you said that they can run all night. What
S2: about filling them up? How long do they need to
S2: go between fuel fills.
S3: The the fuel usage from the engines about eight liters
S3: per hour. So they're very fuel efficient depending on the payload.
S3: That's sort of the weed bank that you're spraying in
S3: the field. So ideally you can start it and it'll
S3: run all night or all day and you just fill
S3: it up once a day. That's the idea, especially with
S3: a spot spray that's viable. Um, if you're trying to
S3: blanket spray with them because you can also send them
S3: to PWM and blanket spray. That'll require filling up more frequently.
S3: The perfect situation is having a dock station, um, which
S3: we're in commercial testing at the moment. The scenario there
S3: is you map your refill, it'll spray until it gets
S3: to the low payload that you set via your app,
S3: and then it'll go, no worries, I'm at 50l in
S3: the tank. I'll fold myself up, drive down the road,
S3: fill up, go back to my last spot where I
S3: sprayed and continue on again.
S2: And by road you mean road in the paddock, don't you?
S3: Road in the paddock. No public roads can be mapped.
S2: Okay. That's good. I think I'd be a bit freaked out, actually,
S2: if I saw one coming along the road. So can
S2: it do that with chemical as well? Is that also
S2: in testing.
S3: So that is that's only for chemical.
S2: Oh so that's not for fuel.
S3: No we're not doing fuel. So they still require checking
S3: every 24 hours. It's still a machine. It's got hydraulics.
S3: It's got a diesel engine. It's got a steel chassis.
S3: So it still takes a daily check. Walk around, check
S3: the sensors. They're really important. We've got our obstacle detection.
S3: That is, um. Yeah. Is vital for keeping it and
S3: everyone else safe. So daily checks are still a must.
S2: I like that, I think that's really clever because I
S2: just imagine that. Yeah, I just want it to run
S2: all the time. But then I'd probably yeah, wouldn't probably
S2: check it. So that's a really good point. So leading
S2: on from that, what about servicing. Can you do you
S2: have to take it somewhere special. How hard is it
S2: to service it and get parts?
S3: Everything has been designed to be very user friendly in
S3: terms of servicing and repairs and maintenance. It's built with
S3: right to service in mind from our point of view.
S3: We warrant hardware everything other than oil and tyres for
S3: three years. The replacement of parts. We've got regional hubs
S3: set up around Australia, so if you've got any issues,
S3: we've got a full time support team and full time,
S3: I mean, seven days a week within specific hours. It's
S3: not 24 hours just yet, but yeah, we've got a
S3: full support team that is at call and ready to help.
S2: How hard is it to get parts once you realize
S2: you need something? What's the turnaround.
S3: For major parts? It depends. If it's a proximity sensor,
S3: we can have it there within the day. Depending on
S3: where you are from the closest regional hub, you also
S3: get a little toolkit with the major components that are
S3: easy to swap out. Um, proximity sensors, fuses, that sort
S3: of stuff that comes with the robot. So a lot
S3: of that's sort of you can fix yourself. It's growers
S3: right to service. If it's a major component, like a
S3: wheel motor or a big failure, then 48 hours is
S3: our target for a full downtime. Back up running.
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S2: What about being a robot? What about if it's something technical?
S3: With our connectivity, we can log into the robot and
S3: see it remotely. So imagine you've got your phone walking
S3: around farm, anywhere you can get phone service. That's what the
S3: robot will be able to operate and transmit messages to
S3: you as long as you've got the machine in phone service,
S3: we can log in and check it. If it is
S3: a no service area, it's it's not going to be
S3: detrimental to the machine. It's still got its pre-planned path
S3: and it'll still operate. The only time there'll be an
S3: issue is if it stops from an obstacle. It won't
S3: be able to send you a notification because it doesn't
S3: have any messaging capability, doesn't have service.
S2: Do you mean that then for it to work to
S2: its best, you're going to need good connectivity.
S3: Yes, yeah I do. So on your farm you may
S3: have Optus as your best service provider. Maybe Telstra. They
S3: take a SIM card in a little, um, router and
S3: that's how we can see them remotely.
S2: So in areas that don't have that can use another
S2: internet provider, something like that.
S3: Yeah, 100%. We do have quite a few machines running
S3: with the Starlinks in a hard case, we can mount them
S3: on the robot, and they often give better connectivity than
S3: you've got at your house, which is pretty funny. You
S3: can be out in the middle of the paddock and
S3: load your messages faster than at home sometimes.
S2: That could solve a lot of problems, I think. Bailey.
S2: So you said that they travel about ten K's per hour?
S2: I think you said. And they can cover 20 hectares
S2: per hour. Is that right? Yeah, yeah. So what in
S2: terms of cost, how much are they compared to something
S2: that's going to do it a lot faster.
S3: For the machine? What we build and supply is just
S3: over 300,000. So 305 gets you a robot, your first
S3: year subscription and full service and warranty from there, once
S3: you've passed the three years, $12,000 per year for your
S3: subscription base, with that, you still need to put an
S3: attachment on top so you've got a couple of options
S3: with your chassis and axle sizes. Other than that, it's
S3: just the one make and model. So 300,000 buys you
S3: a robot, and then you put the attachment on top
S3: of that.
S2: And can you just use any kind of attachment or
S2: do they have to be SwarmBot attachments?
S3: They've got to be SwarmBot ready. So we've worked very
S3: closely with attachment suppliers. From the beginning we recognized that we
S3: can't do everything. We don't want to do everything. We
S3: don't want to build sprayers or slashers or planters because
S3: that's not what we're targeting. We want to build a
S3: platform where then others can integrate with us and get
S3: into the industry that way, and better the industry that way.
S3: So we've partnered with quite a few attachment suppliers around Australia.
S3: And they are that's their bread and butter. That's what
S3: they do every day. So we figured why not, you know,
S3: work with the best in the best.
S2: That makes sense. So what what kind of attachments can
S2: you attach to it at the moment?
S3: At the moment we can do spot sprayers are our
S3: most common attachment and that's been the the lowest hanging fruit,
S3: the best entry to market you can partner and pair
S3: an attachment on for 250 -$300,000. So you're looking at
S3: half a million to get a full setup. And that'll
S3: that's ready to go s pot spraying. That's been our main attachment.
S3: We've got some turf mowers running in New South Wales
S3: and then other slashers running in Queensland in orchards and
S3: one in a vineyard. Spreading is another one. We've got
S3: a spreader over in Western Australia.
S2: How big is the spreader?
S3: I think it can hold a ton. So it's not huge.
S3: It's an electric driven one, but mainly used for mouse baiting.
S3: It's an initial look into the spreading market, and that's
S3: where we're wanting to get more and more, is diversifying away
S3: from not away from sprays. Still, definitely. That's been a
S3: really good market 10-K and hour spot spraying, it's the
S3: perfect speed for targeting a weed to weed issue. That's
S3: been the key. But yeah, spraying, slashing, spreading. And we
S3: are looking at getting into planting.
S2: Okay. So that's the sort of the near future.
S3: That's hopefully the near future. I think we'll need a
S3: bit more horsepower and but we'll see how we go. Yes.
S2: It's really exciting. I was thinking in terms of, hay,
S2: just because we do a little bit of hay, on
S2: our farm, Bailey, I'd really like to have a SwarmBot
S2: that was raking the hay, and then another SwarmBot that
S2: was mowing the next paddock, another SwarmBot that was stacking
S2: it up, and then one loading it on the truck,
S2: and then another SwarmBot back at the shed. Do you
S2: think that's something that you might be interested in making?
S3: I feel like we'd be taking, uh, taking too much
S3: of your fun jobs away from you.
S2: That workers might not be too happy if we do that.
S2: It is, but it is quite intensive. And I see
S2: that's where SwarmBot could be helpful, is just because labor
S2: is obviously really hard to get. And then there's obviously
S2: a lot of work on the farm. So let me know.
S2: Let me know when when you've worked that out. So
S2: in terms of challenges, what are some of the challenges
S2: that you've seen? Well, you.
S3: Mentioned labor there. and I think that's a really interesting point,
S3: because when you think of autonomy and where the ag
S3: industry is going, we've had in the past where growers think, oh,
S3: you're taking a job like, why are you doing this?
S3: You're sending a robot out to do what my workers
S3: used to do. And I mean, I don't think we've
S3: spoken to anyone who's actually bought a machine that has
S3: fired an employee. So that's been one of the challenges
S3: that we've worked through and overcome to go, oh, well,
S3: it doesn't suit everyone and we don't mind if it doesn't.
S3: But I think one of the challenges is labour and
S3: overcoming the issue where if you have people knocking at
S3: the door, please let us know because we need more
S3: people at SwarmFarm.
S2: So what about in terms of like hilly country? Can
S2: it handle hills?
S3: Oh, they love hills. Um, they're like Billy little Billy goats.
S3: It's amazing what they can climb up. So from a
S3: SwarmBot's point of view, we can go up and across
S3: some very steep country. It depends what you've got hooked
S3: on the back of it, I suppose. We are only
S3: 75 horsepower, so it is quite a low horsepower machine.
S3: That's probably our biggest limitation in large contour areas. It'll
S3: slow down a little bit climbing over the hills, but
S3: we haven't. Yeah, we haven't come into a spot that
S3: we can't get through yet. Andrew likes to say it's
S3: the little engine that could, because a lot of the
S3: time the the tractors that are out on market today,
S3: like the largest, is over 800 horsepower. Now you do
S3: the same job at a slower speed, which means you
S3: need less horsepower. That's all we look at, so you can
S3: get across the same country. It might take you a
S3: bit longer, but you don't need as high horsepower.
S2: What about water? What happens if there's flooding?
S3: They only know they're bogged when they can't move any further.
S3: So that's one thing that our weather station on board
S3: doesn't capture. So we don't capture rain. But we do
S3: capture humidity via delta T minimum maximum temperatures, wind direction.
S3: If it starts raining then we can use third party
S3: weather stations. We can integrate with them and grab data
S3: from inversion towers. But if it's raining on top of
S3: the machine, the only way it knows is if it
S3: gets bogged.
S2: That's good to know. So what about crashing? Can they
S2: crash into things?
S3: No. They, uh, they can't unless you tell them to.
S3: So every machine has an obstacle detection system. It's a
S3: lidar based system at the moment, so it relies on
S3: light feedback from an obstacle in front of it. We
S3: can't differentiate between a tree or a person. Um, so
S3: it'll stop for anything that's in front of it. And
S3: it knows when it's 24m, when it's unfolded, and it
S3: knows when it's four metres when it's folded up. So
S3: that's how we get through, um, gateways and in and
S3: around paddocks is it knows its width when it's unfolded
S3: and it knows its width when it's folded up. If
S3: you're mapping still need to map every obstacle that's within
S3: your paddock. So trees, power poles, lakes, dams, they need
S3: to be mapped because that's how our planning program works,
S3: that are then draws a plan for the machine to
S3: follow around that obstacle. Whereas if you miss it, it'll
S3: stop and you'll have to go out there and manually
S3: drive it. If you override that obstacle detection system, then
S3: it will not mind what's in front of it and
S3: rely only on the bumper bar which is on the
S3: front of the machine. That's our last line of defense,
S3: which we prefer not to use.
S2: Does it happen a lot though?
S3: No, not very often.
S2: Did you train everyone really well?
S3: That's right. The training that we provide is. Well, it has.
S3: It has to be not I'm not going to say bulletproof.
S3: We've had our moments as every company would have, but
S3: we strive to provide the best training we can because
S3: we want to see farmers succeed with this technology. And
S3: that's part of our package, is ensuring that your farm
S3: is SwarmBot ready. So we've got our training material that
S3: we'd do over a couple of days is our longest
S3: training material. We've got three training sessions, I think coming
S3: up next week like it's yeah, we're pretty busy and
S3: trying to keep on top of that side of it.
S2: So got to do the training. How long do you
S2: think it would take you like in days or to
S2: actually get set up? So if I was to stay today,
S2: tomorrow I'm going to get my SwarmBot's going to arrive.
S2: Can would I be able to use it in a week?
S3: Yeah, absolutely. You I reckon you'd be pretty tech savvy.
S3: You'd just smash it out. Um, so for the from
S3: when you first put an order in for a robot,
S3: we work closely with you to make sure that you
S3: understand what's required for a map, what a SwarmBot needs
S3: to operate. If you want to grab the GPS and
S3: go out there and and map a paddock from when
S3: you start mapping to when you can run a robot
S3: within half an hour is is all it would take
S3: once you're proficient at it when you first start, we
S3: wouldn't expect you to do it in half an hour,
S3: but that's where you can get to.
S2: So how do I get a SwarmBot ? Can I
S2: get it from a local machinery dealer?
S3: It sounds a bit funny, but our philosophy is not
S3: to go towards a dealership model, so we want to
S3: keep it independent and then use local resources, local mechanics,
S3: to train them up and be able to one day
S3: service the fleet of machines in their area. We have
S3: an order form and it comes all through. SwarmFarm is
S3: how you order one. So we don't yeah, we don't
S3: have dealers. We're staying to an independent service model.
S2: Okay. And speaking about services and dealers and that sort
S2: of thing. How many of these are operating throughout Australia.
S3: So we've got nearly 100 running commercially. I think it's
S3: 96 running commercially in Australia, and we've got one in
S3: the US running commercially.
S2: And where do you see the best fit? Like how
S2: many do you see the most of them in one
S2: particular area and one particular industry in Australia.
S3: For the.
S4: Area?
S3: I would say New South Wales has been a big
S3: growth area they're, right into their controlled traffic and keeping
S3: their water use efficiency right down and really targeting resistant
S3: weeds because that's essentially the best fit has been in
S3: spot spraying technology. Um, using an optic camera sprayer, traveling
S3: throughout your paddock, you can really do a plant by
S3: plant decision to keep it running as a maintenance tool
S3: throughout your field. That's where we've really grown in the
S3: ag industry.
S2: Now how reliable are they? How often are they going
S2: to break down Bailey?
S4: They are.
S3: Quite reliable. I will be honest that we've got a
S3: software and full support team that's available every day of
S3: the week. So if you have any dramas, whether it's
S3: logging into the app, got a leaking wheel hub, got
S3: a robot that won't turn on because your mouse have
S3: chewed the wiring harness. The best way to describe it
S3: is they're reliable, but we've got a full support network .
S2: That is good to know. What about regulations? Because when you
S2: fly a drone, you need a drone license. Now, do
S2: you need a license to operate these?
S3: No, so at the moment the industry, especially AG isn't necessarily regulated.
S3: It's an AG implement. So the restrictions come when you
S3: want to move it from paddock to paddock. So you're
S3: not allowed to map a public road network and you're
S3: not allowed to operate it on a public road network.
S3: So from a user point of view, if it's on
S3: your farm's private property, it's registered to your farm, no
S3: issues at all. If you want to move it from
S3: paddock to paddock, we've got a dolly system. You can
S3: hook it on behind your truck and then tow it
S3: down the road. In terms of regulations, we've got an
S3: internal certificate network that we're bringing in to make sure
S3: that the operators are trained and have appropriate training. Unlike
S3: international companies struggling with getting autonomous machines out, Australia is
S3: quite free with the regulations, and we're trying to do
S3: everything we can to stay in front of that. So
S3: keeping signs at the front gate, entry and exit points.
S3: So anyone who enters that farm knows there's an autonomous
S3: machine running appropriate training and keeping up with that service
S3: and support.
S2: That is good to know that there are some safety
S2: things because yeah, I know my robot vacuum cleaner would
S2: probably just run over me if it could. I don't
S2: think it likes me very much. Was there anything else, Bailey,
S2: that you'd like to add?
S3: Definitely. Just reiterating that we build a platform. Think of
S3: it like your iPhone. That's the technology that we're building.
S3: It's something that then you can load your apps on
S3: top of. So you've got a robot, and then with
S3: a swarm connect attachment, it can go from a sprayer
S3: to a spreader. We're trying to get our time down.
S3: So that's that's sort of where we're really wanting to head.
S3: And yeah, working with different industries like you mentioned, hay
S3: and raking earlier, that's something that we've never really looked into,
S3: but I'm sure into the future. It would be a
S3: good fit.
S2: One question I like to ask everybody that I speak
S2: with Bailey is, what's the best piece of advice that
S2: you've been given, whether it's in life, in footy, farming?
S2: Tell me.
S3: I love this question. I think the best piece of
S3: advice I've ever been given is bite off more than
S3: you can chew and just keep chewing. It's something that
S3: I got off my dad and yeah, it's rung true
S3: so many times.
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