Climate change has significantly increased the amount of watering required. This is where the watering robot comes in and will relieve the burden of watering potted plants in the future. The robot was ultimately designed as an assistance robot. It works together with the gardeners and supports them in the physically difficult work. The robot is monitored and controlled by the specialist staff. The gardening specialists operate the robot using a small mobile control terminal with a display and input buttons. Operation is intuitive and requires hardly any training. The robot only acts autonomously on command, for example when refueling with fresh water. The robot can also move to fixed GPS points, for example to distribute material or tools. A track-operated robot platform with extra-wide profiles was installed for the prototype in order to protect the paths in the garden monument. This is particularly necessary due to the heavy weight of the robot when fueled. The robot can work for up to six hours on a single battery and is quiet and mobile thanks to its electric drive and compact design. A safety area is firmly defined by means of a laser scanner. If guests enter this area, the robot brakes and switches itself off.

400 liter capacity, 700 kilogram pulling force

"Having robots drive autonomously from A to B only takes seconds. The development took months," summarizes Markus Böhme, Lead Engineer and Associate Researcher at the Barkhausen Institute. During the almost three-year development phase, eight project team members from Barkhausen Institut gGmbH and TU Dresden designed and built the prototype together with the team of gardeners from Pillnitz and managers from Staatliche Schlösser, Burgen und Gärten Sachsen gGmbH (SBG). Knowledge from the disciplines of electrical engineering, software development, mechanical engineering, landscape architecture, design and forestry was incorporated into the project. In the end, 200 screw connections, 100 meters of 3D printing filament, 50 meters of aluminium profiles, 30 meters of cable, 15 meters of hose and eight sensors were installed. The water tank has a capacity of 400 liters. The robot has a tractive force of 700 kilograms, weighs half a ton and travels at walking speed.

The development costs are around 630,000 euros. Of this, 10 percent comes from funds provided by the Free State of Saxony. While the first prototype is being tested, an identical second model is already being assembled.