(Montreal) The development by a Quebec company of a robot capable of picking broccoli is an example of artificial intelligence projects that the Legault government supports to become "a productivity leader" and reduce the negative impacts of the Hand shortage-work.

The mechanical design is preparing to market next summer its SAMI machine (for intelligent multifunctional agricultural system).The device consists of a farm tractor that pushes a machine where robotic arms are installed on both sides.These robots picking vegetables.

Robot-broco

Tests carried out with a machine with four robotic arms in broccoli fields have given promising results, according to ÉricThe Palm, president of the Varennes company inMontérégie.

Next summer, he plans to market four machines that would contain twenty robotic arms, perhaps more if farmers express the need.M.Lapalme believes that a robotic arm replaces a worker in the fields.

Even if farmers manage to provide their needs with temporary foreign workforce, the current system limits their growth opportunity, continues the entrepreneur.

"There are several producers who tell me that they would like to extend their market gardening and reduce their production of great culture, but they cannot do it, because they are unable to find more labor.So, it enormously limits the development of market garden farms in Quebec.»»

Financial support

Quebec gave a financial support of 1.3 million to the company.Investissement Quebec, for its part, granted him a loan of $ 100,000.

PierreFitzgibbon, Minister of Economy and Innovation, believes that the development of SAMI is promising. « C’est un petit projet, mais ça m’excite, car c’est exactement ce qu’on veut faire comme gouvernement»», dit le ministre en entrevue.

He underlines that there were 194,000 positions to be filled in Quebec at the end of the second quarter, according to the most recent data from Statistics Canada. Or, « une bonne part»» de ces postes sont au salaire minimum, ajoute le ministre.

Des projets d’automatisation comme celui du SAMI permettraient d’augmenter la productivité dans le secteur agricole, espèreM.Fitzgibbon."It's a way to be a leader.On the one hand, we increase productivity.On the other hand, the jobs that are required to pick the broccoli may disappear.It may seem hard to say that, but I think it is important, because you have to reclassify the workforce in better paid sectors.»»

The massive replacement of workers in the fields is not for tomorrow for tomorrow.The mechanical design will limit marketing next summer to four machines in order to limit financial and technological risks at the start of the production phase.

M.Lapalme, however, wants to accelerate marketing after this first phase.He stresses that his machine was patented in Canada, the United States and Europe."The idea is to quickly take these three markets.You have to go quickly, otherwise the market will see what you do and take inspiration from it and other ideas could emerge from that.»»

The company has not yet determined if it will sell its machines or if it will adopt a rental model where the price would vary depending on the size of the harvest. Si elle est vendue, le coût du SAMI varierait selon le nombre de bras robotisés installés, expliqueM.The Palm.It takes about $ 400,000 for the heart of the machine and $ 100,000 per robotic arm.

For the moment, the SAMI only harvested broccoli, but the device could be used for other crops such as asparagus, celery or cabbage.It could also be used to make an inventory of crops in the fields or weeding.