Mobile robotics for restoring degraded ecosystems

Land degradation directly affects over a billion hectares throughout the world. It is a threat to almost 35% of the planet´s land as well as to the means of subsistence of two billion people. The degradation of arid and semi-arid land is a serious threat to the development of affected countries. This problem remains unsolved to date, and the international community addressing this issue through a number of institutions has not yet found a lasting solution. Consequently, we are helplessly witnessing the progression of this devastating scourge despite the efforts and experiments carried out across the globe. It is vital that urgent solutions be found, that are not only technical, but also social, economic and cultural. This assessment calls for action and the need to exploit approaches based on latest advanced technology. Mobile robotics may well contribute to slowing down this phenomenon in the near future. This technology presents enormous potential in several fields: healthcare, personal assistance, agriculture and of course in restoring ecosystems. The R-Stepps project evaluates the resilience capacity of a solution based on robotic techniques. Here we are experimenting with a fleet of robots aimed at combating land degradation and desertification. We have researched and explored ways and means to develop a fleet of nomadic robots to carry out missions to restore degraded ecosystems. In order to create simple, sturdy mechatronic systems, the robots have been design to perform a specific task. We have developed an experimental platform composed of five coordinated robots each capable of (digging, planting, watering, supervising, or guiding). A demonstrator is designed to validate the various navigation, localization, and planning models, as well as the planting and environment supervision procedures.