Leader in agricultural automation, Helper Robotech

▲ Helper seedling pots

Helper Robotech Co., Ltd (www.hr24.co.kr) have been pioneers in the world of automated agricultural robots, leading the way with superior products such as their automated sowing systems and fruit and vegetable grafting robots, which are earning them a stellar reputation as a producer.

In the advent of the fourth industrial revolution, the field of agricultural automation has received renewed interest. The shortage of manpower due to rapidly aging farming communities and the hard manual labor required (which puts off younger replacement workers) are creating a massive social problem. Smart Farms, ICT technology, big data, and agricultural robots are expected to be some hopeful solutions.

Helper Robotech are suppliers of ultra-precise grafting and sowing robot systems. The technology for the automated grafting system contained in the ultra-precise grafting robot was transferred from the Korean government’s Rural Development Administration. In 2013, it was given the “World Class Product” designation by the Korean government.

The company’s ultra-precision grafting robot can handle both the gourd and eggplant families. Unlike foreign-made grafting devices, the company’s product is capable of grafting watermelon, cucumbers, and melons – all in the gourd family – as well as tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers – in the eggplant family. In addition, the cutting plane of the rootstock and the scion is imaged to find the center line, and the precise grafting location is determined to within 1/100mm margin of error. Using camera footage, the degree to which the cutting of the recognized stem deviates from the center line is precisely calculated by image processing so that the cut surfaces can be fully attached without error.

Immediately after cutting, it is possible to observe and mark the results of the image; display the deviation value and the deviation value relative to the monitor image; operate within the deviation value; and exercise precise repetition. Even a folded stem can be uniformly formed in line by referencing the center line. Over 800 tree grafts per hour are possible – 900 by an experienced operator. The company’s sales have been largely centered on domestic watermelon, tomato, pepper, and eggplant nurseries, but they have also been making strides in sales to the United States, Turkey, India, Taiwan, and Romania.

In addition, the company is also a supplier of electric power transplanters, forest nursery systems, sowing systems, and specialized seedling pots. For 15 years since 2003, Helper Robotech has been manufacturing agricultural goods. Now, the company is looking to expand its sales to the overseas market and make continued improvements to their products. Currently, in addition to their transplant robots and forest nursery systems, the company is widely expanding their scope of operations to accommodate requests from tropical countries to develop nursery equipment for palm trees as well as aged trees.