The Rural Voice, 1996-03, Page 12A NEW CONCEPT
FOR
HANDLING
BALES
• two 5 1 /2' augers
provide positive
gentle lift
• eliminates
troublesome chains
• space
vertical positioning
• reverse for loading
out of mow
• low maintenance —
durable Delron
bearings
• all drive and controls
conveniently at
ground level
AUG -A -BALE
also. Mow systems - installation available
WEBER LANE MFG.
(1990) CO.
R.R. 4, Listowel,
Ontano N4W 3G9
519-595-2007
CANADIAN
CO-OPERATIVE
WOOL GROWERS
LIMITED
Now Available
ADVANCE PAYMENTS
500 per pound
Skirted Fleeces
Well -Packed Sacks
For more information contact:
WINGHAM
WOOL DEPOT
John Farrell
R.R. 2, Wingham, Ontario
Phone/Fax 519-357-1058
8 THE RURAL VOICE
Scrap Book
New robot can even pick tomatoes
The variety of work done by
robots can now extend as far as
sorting tomatoes, research at a
British college shows.
Scientist Nick Tillet of the
Silsoe Research Institute has
developed a robot designed to
reduce monotonous work with
vegetables
or products
such as
chicken
pieces (or
items of a
similar size)
which have
to be packed
in boxes.
The robot
directs a
light onto
the
tomatoes,
enabling its
surveillance
camera to detect the brightest area
which, in turn, allows the robot's
computer to estimate the size and
shape of each individual fruit.
This information is sent to the
robotic arm — a relatively low
cost instrument since the
mechanism involves virtually no
precision -machined or moving
parts.
The arm is pneumatically
controlled by two air sacs, the
designs of which are based on the
"Air Muscle" technology used in
the popular British TV series
Spitting Image featuring puppets
that look like people in the public
eye. By
blowing air
into one sac,
the arm is
moved one
way and, in
pressurizing
the other, the
arm moves
back. A
simple
rubber
suction cup
is used to
pick up the
tomatoes.
Exact
positioning over the tomato is not
necessary since it can handle
fruits of roughly varying
diameters (from 3 to 7 cm)
without damaging them. Its work
rate is about 24 selections from
the tray a minute — about as fast
as a human hand can do the job.0
—Source: London News Service
Volunteers needed for tree atlas project
Wanted: 900 able -sighted
Ontarians to identify and estimate
tree populations in the province. No
prerequisites. Training provided.
About 600 volunteers have been
recruited so far to the Ontario Tree
Atlas Project, launched last year by
the Arboretum at the University of
Guelph and the Ontario Forest
Research Institute to record the
province's tree populations but
another 900 volunteers are required
in order to complete the project by
June 1998, says Rob Guthrie, project
co-ordinator.
Each' volunteer is given one or
more 100 -square km (10 km by 10
km) plots of land to cover and, for
each square, a data card to record the
tree species and their abundance. In
the southern part of the province
there are 1,824 areas to cover while
in Northern Ontario there are at least
triple that number. In addition to
volunteer data collection, the project
will use existing satellite data to
determine tree distribution.
Some 111 species of trees,
including about 20 introduced
species, are on the list but in most
areas only a few of the species will
be present.
There are three forest regions in
Ontario — the Carolinian forest zone
confined to the southernmost part of
the province; the Great Lakes/St.
Lawrence forest zone in the middle
of the province and the northern
boreal forest.0
—Source: University of Guelph