This is the robot dog helping Murcia farmers to improve the health of their trees
The four-legged robot is equipped with sensors and cameras to monitor crop health, detect disease and optimise irrigation
You really can teach an old dog new tricks, although in Murcia's case the dogs are brand new and they aren't actually dogs at all. They're robots. Four legged, quadruped robots that patrol orchards checking on tree health and they look pretty cool doing it, too.
The agricultural sector is facing a serious labour shortage so technology is stepping in to fill the gap. At this week's 8th Datagri Forum in Murcia, which focuses on digital transformation in the agri-food sector, there was plenty of talk about the emergence of digital farmers and workers endowed with intelligence and autonomy.
Essentially, robots that can work alongside humans or replace them entirely when there simply aren't enough people to go around.
The star of the show was undoubtedly the robot dog exhibited by Fernando Pérez, professor at the Higher Technical School of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering of the University of Córdoba. This autonomous quadruped, which also made quite the splash at ExpoSagris last week, is specifically designed for monitoring woody crops.
It's equipped with cameras and 3D sensors that capture detailed data on tree structure, allowing farmers to make informed decisions about growth, biomass, fertilisation and pruning.
This clever canine also has 2D sensors that capture information from vegetation invisible to the human eye, such as nitrogen deficiencies, chlorophyll levels, pests and diseases. It can even monitor water stress to enable precise irrigation of crops.This robot dog sees things your average farmer would miss entirely, turning what used to be guesswork into data driven decision making.
The complete system costs more than €200,000, which admittedly is rather steep. However, if you don't fancy shelling out for the full robotic dog experience, the sensors can be mounted on a regular tractor instead, bringing the cost down to a far more manageable €10,000 to €15,000.
Still not pocket change, but considerably more accessible for farmers who want the technology without the sci-fi spectacle of a mechanical mutt trotting through their groves.
Images: University of Texas
Address
C/Regidor Cayetano Gago S/N 30100 Espinardo Murcia ESPANA Tel: (+34)968 368 200
Terra Natura Murcia, wildlife and adventure water park in the outskirts of the city of Murcia
Terra Natura Murcia is one of the most important and spectacular animal and nature parks in western Spain, and is one of a new generation of wildlife parks in which visitors can discover the concept of what's called "Zooinmersión."
The aim of this is recreate a habitat which gives an experience of being at one with the wildlife viewed in the park, so to this end more than 500 examples of 50 species of vegetation have been interplanted among the animal habitats, spread across an area occupying more than 165,000 square metres.
The planting has matured to create a comfortable and interesting environment which enhances the interaction between visitors and animals.
The planting not only softens the landscape, but also enables visitors to be closer to the animals and have direct human contact rather than the traditional forms of wildlife park where the animals are at a distance behind physical barriers.
The park contains over 500 animals belonging to 50 different species (some of which are in grave danger of extinction), alongside giraffes, lions, hippopotamus, lemurs, brown bears, Iberian lynx, Oryx, Iberian wolves and a White African Rhinoceros.
Throughout the year, Terra Natura Murcia offers different educational talks during visits to their facilities: giraffes, brown bears and otters.
One of the most popular areas is the falconry zone, where the displays enable visitors to discover the beauty of a great variety of birds such as the majestic flight of the peregrine falcon, which reaches diving speeds of over 300 km an hour, the eagle owl, various types of hawk, the griffon vulture and the buzzard eagle. One of the main aims of the park is to encourage contact and engage in interaction between animals and humans, and the falconry is a popular means of achieving this goal.
Among the mammals are Iberian and European Lynx, Mouflon and Coatis.
Aqua Natura Water park
During the summer Terra Natura opens Aqua Natura, the only water park in the Region of Murcia.
This is a refreshing and enjoyable way to cool down in the heat of summer, with swimming pools for adults and children, slides and shoots, kamikazes, lazy river, entertainment and games for youngsters, all within just a short distance of the centre of the city of Murcia.
Opening hours 2024
Terra Natura Murcia is open every day of the year except 1st January and 25th December.
The wildlife park opens at 10.00 in the morning, and during the summer (June 23rd to September 8th) it opens at 11.00.
The water park opens from May 25th to September 8th, at 11.00
Closing times are as follows:
January 2nd – March 15th: 17.00, except weekends in February and March (18.00).
March 16th – May 24th: 18.00, except weekends in April and May (19.00).
May 25th – June 16th: 19.00.
June 17th – September 8th: 20.00.
NB: During the summer special nocturnal tours and meals are available. See what's on section for latest promotions.
September 9th – September 15th: 19.00.
September 16th – October 25th: 18.00, except weekends in September and October (19.00).
October 28th – December 31st: 17.00, except weekends in November (18.00).
Details of daily activities can be found here: extra activities and special offers are regularly updated on Murcia Today.
Click here for online bookings
How to get there
Terra Natura is located in the northern outskirts of the city of Murcia in Espinardo, accessed via the A-7 motorway.
Address: Calle Regidor Cayetano Gago, 30100, Espinardo, Murcia
From the A-7 Murcia to Alicante, exit 136, Universidad de Murcia
From the Autovia A-7 Alicante to Murcia, exit 762b, Murcia centro
By Bus
From central Murcia. Bus line number 31 leaves from Plaza Cruz Roja via Gran Via and passes by the park, from Monday to Saturday every half hour and on Sunday every hour.
Line 39A, leaves from the railway station from Monday to Friday every 15 minutes
Line 39C leaves from Infante Juan Manuel (Pio Baroja) from Monday to Friday every 30 minutes.
