Recently, the annual award ceremony for the German iF Design Award 2024 was held in Berlin, Germany. A total of 10,807 entries from 72 countries worldwide competed in the event. Among them, the project "ANTOBOT Intelligent Agricultural Production Robot" by Associate Professor Guo Han and the team of Yang Wenwu from the School of Engineering at South China Agricultural University, scored an impressive 360 points, securing the prestigious German iF Design Award (exceeding the award threshold by over 100 points).
ANTOBOT Smart Agricultural Production Robot Product Rendering. Image provided by Guo Han.
The iF Design Award, established in 1954 in Germany, is organized annually by the Hanover Industrial Design Forum, the oldest industrial design institution in Germany. Renowned for its independent, rigorous, and reliable judging principles, it is internationally recognized as a prestigious award in the field of contemporary industrial design.
The winning score for this iF Design Award is 260 points. Products are comprehensively evaluated from five dimensions: product concept, form, function, differentiation, and impact. Guo Han and Yang Wenwu's team scored over 70 points in each dimension, with a total score exceeding 100 points above the winning threshold. "This signifies the judges' recognition of the social significance and solutions to terraced agriculture issues, especially the affirmation of our product's functional definition and implementation," Guo Han stated.
The biggest challenge in mechanizing terraced field operations lies in the rugged terrain. To address this, the team innovatively proposed an operational method based on using drones to transport agricultural robots. Acting as "couriers," the drones survey and plan the hilly terrain, then "deliver" the robots to target fields based on their production needs. This approach resolves the challenge of field-to-field robot transportation. Multiple robots on different fields can also "collaborate," enabling a coordinated operation of robot clusters, significantly enhancing production efficiency.
ANTOBOT Smart Agricultural Production Robot Product Rendering. Image provided by Guo Han.
"The exploration of robot applications in agriculture is currently a hot research topic and one of the best ways to mechanize and digitize agriculture in hilly and mountainous areas," said Yang Wenwu. Unlike large and medium-sized agricultural machinery, the compact body of the ANTOBOT smart agricultural production robot allows for flexible maneuvering in small fields. At the same time, the robot adopts a modular design, integrating multiple functions into one body. By switching modules, it can achieve "one machine, multiple uses," while also reducing overall production and maintenance costs.
Currently, the ANTOBOT smart agricultural production robot has entered the pilot phase and is expected to be launched in 2026, providing an important solution for agricultural production in terraced areas. Yang Wenwu stated that they will continue to optimize and improve the solution, striving for early mass production and widespread application.
