The Oxin vineyard robot in a Calistoga vineyard. [Photo by Jessica Zimmer]
N orth Bay wineries and wine grape growers are exploring adopting remotely operated vineyard robots, a shift that could reduce the number of human workers. The change means labor unions like United Farm Workers are increasing their interest in developing technology training for workers and addressing potential layoffs.
In July and August, New Zealand robotics manufacturer SmartMachine held several
demonstrations of Oxin in a Calistoga vineyard. The events attracted local wineries and growers as far south as Lodi. The 4.5-ton Oxin can mow and shred in front of the tractor, engage in a leaf removal of a half or full row per pass, trim or hedge two half rows, strip spray vines, disc soil and employ multi-row fungicide sprayers. “We will look to find ways in the future of also participating during harvest, whether it be towing gondola or chaser bins to carry harvested grapes,” says Andrew Kersley, CEO of SmartMachine. SmartMachine is in talks with U.S. manufacturers to produce the robots. This would be less expensive and risky than shipping units from New Zealand. The company has developed a partnership with agriculture equipment seller Pellenc America to market service and support for the robots in the U.S. Before a robot can drive down a row, a worker has to map out the vineyard block in which the machine will complete tasks. This involves the use of a real- time kinematic positioning (RTK) app. RTK corrects for
56 NorthBaybiz
September 2024
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