Robotic Precision Sprinkler Technology

Published on by in Technology

Robotic Precision Sprinkler Technology

An inventor from University of Alberta, Cam Cote, made a robotic sprinkler with a tiny water station to measure the direction and speed of wind to irrigate only a specific area and conserve water.

Cam Cote is the CEO of InteliRain, the startup company which created these precision sprinklers.

Through the Mitacs Accelerate program, Cote met Yile Zhang, a post-doctoral researcher in mathematics and statistics at the University of Alberta, who is a genius at programming machines.

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Zhang found out that there is no mathematical solution for spraying a liquid into a specific shape.

A lot of water from sprinkles ends up on the side of the lawn since it is spread out because the wind changes the direction of the water droplets.

Zhang then made an algorithm which can adjust the conditions in real time by taking into account the area shape and wind speed and directing and calculating the sprinkling method.

When variables data is entered in a mobile phone app, the sprinkler calculates how it should irrigate the area without wasting water.

They tested the sprinkler on a simulator and found that their precision irrigation saves around 30% compared to conventional sprinklers for the same patch of grass. The sprinkler is yet to be tested outdoors.

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Cote is also working on adjusting his technology for agricultural irrigation.

Taking into consideration that 70% of world’s freshwater supply is used for agriculture, saving even a smaller percentage could make a great conservational impact.

InteliRain will soon take the sprinklers to market with a professional sports league.

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