Autonomous Tree-Seeding Robot Offers Alternative to Traditional Reforestation

Reforestation-services company Land Life has teamed with German automotive technology giant Continental to develop an autonomous tree-seeding robot.

The machine carries an automatic drilling and seeding module built by Continental’s in-house development arm, Continental Engineering Services (CES), that can plant 60 seed balls per hour, or one per minute, in rough terrain. The unit’s platform is a caterpillar-tracked robot from the German manufacturer Stella Engineering, which is already on the market and used in landscaping applications.

"We are pleased to partner with Land Life to jointly develop a sustainable solution for the preservation and protection of vital ecosystems," said Martin Poettcher, CES’ head of business center greentech. "We have adapted the robot to our proven, robust automotive technology so that it can operate in an automated and safe way, even in rough terrain. Our collaboration will clearly benefit the environment."

The sowing robot is a “game-changing solution” to the process of reforestation, which is labor-intensive, costly and slow, Netherlands-based Land Life said. While still in the prototype phase, the machine has significant advantages compared to traditional reforesting practices. 

For more robotics and other embedded tech news subscribe to our free newsletter!

Related:Customizable Agricultural Robot Can Tackle Labor Shortages

The robot’s drilling and seeding module is the “heart” of the machine, Continental said. First, the module removes ground-covering weeds and grasses, after which it drills a hole at optimum depth and width for the particular soil and tree. A special seed ball is then dropped into the hole using compressed air, and the soil that was drilled out is then emptied back over the seed — all in less than one minute. 

The seed balls, developed in partnership with seed-enhancement company Incotec, are specially coated to stand up to harsh environmental conditions to ensure a higher germination rate. The tougher seeds extend the seeding window by two to four times, Land Life said.

By planting the seeds directly into the ground, the robot can reduce seed usage by 80% compared to traditional methods like aerial seeding — a “crucial” advantage when high-quality seeds are scarce, Land Life said.

The seeding robot is not Land Life’s first high-tech approach to reforestation. The for-profit company uses drones, algorithms and AI to maximize its impact. It has also created a digital reforestation dashboard for clients, who can track GPS planting coordinates, tree species, growth and other data from the field. So far, the company has successfully implemented over 130 reforestation projects that have seen 10 million trees planted and 11,250 hectares of land restored.

Related:AI-Powered Robotic Weeder Developed at University of Idaho

"Our collaboration with CES will strengthen biodiversity while expanding natural ecosystems. This synergy of CES’ automotive know-how with Land Life’s reforestation background is advancing the approach to autonomous, high-quality nature restoration worldwide," said Harrie Lövenstein, Land Life’s head of research and development. "Our partnership represents an interdisciplinary approach that is essential for the development of innovative technologies, which will protect ecosystems in the future. 

“Continental’s automotive expertise in the development of high-quality and robust technologies and innovations that are necessary in the automotive environment has allowed us to make major advances in innovative reforestation technologies that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago."