Zauberzeug has worked for many years on the vision of a horse-dung collecting robot. The result, a fully autonomous, AI-controlled device, will be on sale in 2023 via the cooperation partner Wasserbauer and has already won an award.
Zauberzeug GmbH from Havixbeck is a specialist for intelligent software and robotics from Münsterland. The company was founded 10 years ago by Rodja Trappe in Havixbeck, who still leads the company today as CTO and CEO. Zauberzeug supports its customers in software development, artificial intelligence, product development, system administration, mechanical engineering and electronics.
Wasserbauer GmbH is a family-owned company from Austria specialising in cattle feeding systems. Customers from all over the world appreciate the company's innovations in the field of feeding system automation.
Every horse owner knows the problem: clearing away horse droppings is one of the daily unloved chores in the stable. Horses poop every 30 to 120 minutes and - depending on the breed and feeding - they can produce up to 50 kilograms of horse droppings per day. The largest amount is produced by horses on pasture, the smallest production is by oat-fed and stabled horses. If an entire stable has to be cleaned every day, this is a big investment of time and personnel.
To solve the problem, Zauberzeug GmbH has developed a novel robot navigation for stable environments. This made possible a fully functional prototype of a horse dung collection robot that is fully automated and controlled by artificial intelligence. The challenges for the development were great, as the robot must be able to work robustly in different environments and move between horses. Sensitive sensor technology on the robot itself was therefore out of the question; instead, cameras on roofs and masts are used. A cooperation agreement was then concluded with Wasserbauer GmbH for further development into series production.
The result of the collaboration is Wasserbauer GmbH's "Active Cleaner". The robot identifies horse manure through real-time analysis of data collected by camera-based AI technology and subsequently disposes of it. Once the device has detected several piles, it evaluates the size and quantity, automatically calculates the optimal route and then unloads the manure at the designated locations. In this way, not only is the air quality in the stable improved, but also the cleanliness of the bedding and thus of the horse is increased. This also leads to considerable labour time savings in a rather unpopular activity in horse husbandry. The robot is particularly suitable for cleaning out runs or paddocks in group husbandry.
Zauberzeug GmbH has been working on this robot since its foundation in 2012 and has secured the results with a number of patents. Through the cooperation with Wasserbauer GmbH, mass production, international distribution and support are now also secured. A win-win situation for both partners.
As a regional joint initiative, Enabling Networks Münsterland supports companies and universities in the Münsterland region in developing innovations, implementing them and finding the right partners for the project. In order to show how innovative and at the same time cooperative Münsterland already is, the project also went in search of innovative cooperation projects from the region. The results are presented on this page. The Enabling Networks Münsterland project is funded by the European Union and the NRW Ministry of Economics as part of the ERDF call "Regio.NRW".
