EiSam significantly increases the productivity of turkey farming. The robot eliminates the need to manually collect the turkey eggs. The system also carries out the pallet change of the egg hordes fully automatically. © HoBohTec

HoBohTec has developed a robot that searches turkey nests for eggs in large breeding farms and collects them. This egg-searching robot, called EiSam (egg collector), travels on rails that were previously suspended under the ceiling of the poultry house. In a newer version, the rails are laid on a frame on the floor of the poultry house. The main components of the solution are a camera and a gripper for detecting and picking up the turkey eggs.

Power is supplied by two parallel conductors (in the center of the picture), which are enclosed by the movable U-shaped energy transformer head. © SEW

Sliding contacts and their abrasion are not desirable in food production anyway. Electromagnetic coupling takes place via an air gap. It is wear-free. The absence of contact means that speeds of over 10 m/s can be achieved. By laying the line conductors on the rail system, there are no additional obstacles. This type of energy supply is insensitive to soiling. This is particularly important in animal stables, where animal excretions and vapors as well as dust require robust drive and energy transmission components. The energy transmission technology has been optimized for high chemical resistance so that this technology can also be used under extreme conditions. For example, in conjunction with immersion baths in the automotive industry.

The lean and convincing system concept is very economical. This includes the option of freely designing the track with curves and points and the simple segmentation of the tracks in combination with decentralized feed units. Cost savings result from the quick and easy installation. Only the line conductor loop needs to be laid along the track. Commissioning the technology is very simple thanks to the use of the Movitools MotionStudio engineering software.

Increased productivity

EiSam, including the egg sorting system, significantly increases the productivity of turkey farming. The robot eliminates the manual and time-consuming collection of turkey eggs, which is associated with high labor costs. In addition, the working conditions in the stables are difficult due to dust and odors. The constantly stooped posture also makes the work more difficult. By using the EiSam, a constant and exceptional repetition accuracy is achieved in the work process. This recurring process contributes to significantly improved animal welfare.

The simple segmentation of the lines in combination with decentralized feed-in units - shown here - makes the lean system concept very economical. © SEW

Compared to manual searching, EiSam with an egg sorting system requires only 20 percent less manpower. The system even carries out the pallet change of the egg trays fully automatically and independently. The entire design meets the highest hygiene requirements. It is the next step towards a smart barn for animal husbandry.

Animal welfare was an important concern right from the start. The animals are no longer disturbed by people looking for eggs. All laying boxes are checked individually for the presence of eggs. The robot carries out all work steps at exactly the same time, always in the same order and with identical noise and movement patterns. This creates routine, calmness and trust among the animals and prevents them from becoming stressed.

With this system, no germs can be introduced from outside, which further reduces the hygiene effort. If a turkey is brooding in a box, it is gently guided out in a controlled manner through a sterile pusher. A special requirement of the end customer was a performance comparison to optimize productivity. Each individual egg, whether fertilized or unfertilized, is marked with a QR code. This marking enables the eggs to be individually assigned to the laying hen. This allows the productivity of the turkeys to be determined in performance statistics at the click of a mouse.

By Hergen Petznik, sales representative at SEW-Eurodrive in the Bremen technical office