ABB's solar-powered robot 'Yumi' is working as part of a joint pilot project between the non-profit organization Junglekeepers and ABB Robotics to demonstrate the potential of robot and cloud technology for reforestation. In this unique demonstration, the collaborative robot (cobot) YuMi automates planting work at a research and test site in the middle of the jungle. With the help of 'RobotStudio' cloud technology, ABB experts simulate, optimize and implement the robot programming in real time from Sweden, 12,000 km away.

Thanks to Yumi, the rangers can turn their attention to more important tasks.

© ABB Robotics

At Junglekeepers' request, the pilot project with RobotStudio Cloud and YuMi in the rainforest will run for around six weeks (in May and June 2023). At the end of the pilot program, ABB will explore ways to further support Junglekeepers. The company will also explore how its robots and cloud technologies can further support sustainable transformation.

"The collaboration between ABB and Junglekeepers shows that robotics and cloud technologies can play a central role in combating deforestation. Deforestation is one of the main drivers of climate change," says Sami Atiya, Head of ABB's Robotics & Factory Automation business. "Our pilot project with the most remote robot deployment in the world enables the automation of highly repetitive tasks. This gives the rangers more time for more important work in the rainforest and allows them to better protect the land they live on." This includes patrols to deter illegal loggers, educating the local population about rainforest conservation and planting young trees.

In a research and experimental laboratory in a region in the Peruvian Amazon, the Cobot digs holes in the soil with a small shovel and places a seed in a planting bag, compacts the soil over it and marks the spots with a colored label. The rangers can then plant the seed bags in the soil in the surrounding area. By using YuMi, Junglekeepers can replant an area the size of two soccer pitches every day.

The autonomous cobot installation solves another problem: finding people who want to work in this remote location in the jungle for a longer period of time. After the initial installation, YuMi can carry out its tasks autonomously and only needs to undergo troubleshooting when necessary.

"We have lost 20 percent of the entire Amazon rainforest so far, and without the use of technology, we can no longer make progress in conservation," explains Moshin Kazmi, co-founder of Junglekeepers. "Having YuMi on the ground is an excellent way to familiarize our rangers with new ways of working. It accelerates and expands our activities and advances our mission."

The destruction of the Amazon rainforest by human activities such as deforestation and slash-and-burn agriculture is a major contributor to the devastating effects of climate change. Since 1985, it is estimated that more than 870,000 km² of the Amazon rainforest has been cleared - an area larger than France, the United Kingdom and Belgium combined. Because several billion trees have already disappeared, the region is warming rapidly.