Design of a Grape "Roomba": A Robotic Device For Reducing Winery Water Use

Deparment of Viticulture and Enology, Davis, CA, USA

ID: BBD1

Relevant Skills: mechanical design, robotics, software

Wineries typically use 4 to 6 volumes of water to produce one volume of wine and this only includes winery water use (irrigation water is potentially an order of magnitude more). Nearly all of this water is used in cleaning. With water becoming ever more scarce in California (and most wine producing regions around the world), it is important to figure out how to produce wine with less water. Ideas in the UC Davis LEED Platinum certified Teaching and Research Winery and the associated Jess Jackson Sustainable Winery Building go a long way toward accomplishing this. However, one key area of water use has not yet been addressed. Currently, the crush pad area of the winery (where the grapes are processed) and winery floor are still cleaned manually using a hose. This includes using water from a hose to push solids like skins, seeds, and stems into a drain that eventually leads to a solids trap. This is typical of the wine industry. It is even common during the peak of harvest to see someone using gallons of water to push one grape skin down the drain (instead of bending down to pick it up, for instance). We would like to develop a robotic device that picks up the solids, even when they are in clumps, and wipes down/cleans the entire floor area using minimal water. We would also like to have an option of laying down a sanitizing solution at the same or later time with this device. The robotic device needs to be contained within an area (e.g. the crush pad) that may change from day to day, be robust about the surfaces it is on (including getting around fixed obstacles like drains), and be able to navigate the winery that typically includes tangles of hoses and equipment during harvest. Like a Roomba, it should be able to be battery powered, if possible, and find its charging station on its own. This type of device would likely find use in all types of food and beverage production facilities.

The team will work closely with the winery staff and Viticulture and Enology/engineering faculty to further define requirements and to test prototypes.

Funds for design and prototyping are available from the Department of Viticulture and Enology.