Autonomous Planting Machine Receives Red Dot Design Award

The planting machine BraSatt, Södra’s investment in new advanced technology for better plant survival, has been awarded the prestigious Red Dot Award.

The innovation agency Boid and Södra, a forest-owner association in Sweden, have won the “Best-of-the-Best” prize in the category “Autonomous.”

The machine is designed to reflect the advanced technology inside. With the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and sensors, the machine handles different conditions consistently and efficiently with high precision. Each sapling is planted with exact coordinates, building a knowledge bank for the future.

For a more sustainable solution to planting, the consortium set out to design a precision-based machine that conveyed care and gentleness whilst having a futuristic, intelligent, and trustworthy presence. 

A focus on user experience guided the project, ensuring that the technology was well received by forest owners. 

Södra develops innovations that benefit forest farms, but uniquely for this project, also developed its own technology. With BraSatt, Södra aims to accelerate innovation in planting, as it contributes to improvements for family forestry by increasing plant survival and forest growth.

Anna Wallner, project manager for BraSatt at Södra, commented; “We have created unique technology for both ground preparation and planting. Through constructive dialogue and an open mind, together with a group of experts, we have quickly moved from concept ideas to showing a prototype in the field. With our investment, rejuvenation technology takes a significant step forward. Going forward, we would like to find more partners to take the next step.”

David Lamm, Creative Director at Boid, added; “Our design philosophy was that the machine should convey the same calm and confidence as a colleague in the field. Predictability is crucial when it comes to automation.

“Therefore, the machine has a calm and responsive design language, while its diagonal cuts give a clear direction. We have ensured that the operator can easily guide and plan the robot’s work with a route planner and an intuitive interface, creating a reliable companion in the forest.”