trip robot stray

Stray lets you go full chaotic cat and trip up robots

Our virtual feline friend is just as mischievous as a real cat

Stray will let you cause maximum chaos for the city's mechanical inhabitants.

Adorable kitty-themed adventure Stray is pouncing onto PlayStation and PC in less than a week . The game places you in the fluffy paws of a cat, who must navigate through a strange robot-filled city to find their way home. In order for us to get better acquainted with our feline friend, PlayStation has created a spoiler-free introduction to the game.

As the webpage shows, developer BlueTwelve Studio   has given this hero kitty all the characteristics of a real cat, including their fondness for making mischief. With hoomans nowhere to be seen, this cat has to get their kicks by tripping up robots instead. One of the videos shows our cat pal standing at the top of some stairs when a robot, blissfully unaware of their presence, spectacularly trips over the animal and ends up eating pavement.

A lot of meowing is essential in the everyday life of a kitty, and in Stray, there's a dedicated button for doing just that. Additionally, cats typically spend around 15 hours of the day sleeping, so taking a nap is always an option. Snoozing makes use of the PS5's controller's haptic feedback and speaker to "make it feel like you're holding a sleeping kitty in your own hands." You can also keep your furry companion's claws sharp by scratching furniture and other surfaces. 

You'll have to fully embrace the way of the cat if you want to earn all of the trophies in Stray . Silver trophy 'A Little Chatty' is only unlocked after you've made the ginger fellow meow 100 times, and sleeping for more than one hour is needed to net the trophy for 'Productive Day'.

Take a look at our Stray preview for our first impressions of this charming indie. 

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Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.

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Stray: How to Get Cat’s Best Friend Trophy (All Robot Nuzzle Locations)

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After joining forces with B-12 at the start of Stray , players will officially begin their journey through the mysterious underground settlements. As the home of the remaining companion robots after the fall of humanity , it’s safe to assume that this small cat wouldn’t mind a little attention from a bipedal being.

Players can earn the Cat’s Best Friend trophy by nuzzling up against five different robot’s legs over the course of Stray . While there are several eligible legs for players to choose from, it’s not necessary to interact with all of them. Unless, of course, players want to.

RELATED: Stray: How to Steal Worker Jacket and Worker Helmet

Players will first encounter sentient robots in the Slums, and shortly after arriving, they will be able to explore the town. Here, players can begin their search for metallic legs to rub against to make new robot friends.

After Guardian has calmed the inhabitants of the Slums, he will explain to the small visitor that Momo can help them with their task. But, most importantly, players can rub against Guardian’s leg.

This sweet robot knits clothing for the residents of the Slums using material that can be traded for in Azooz’s market . Players can find Grandma sitting in her shop, tucked away in a warmly lit corner with a mannequin and materials, like any good tailor.

Zakk and Riko

Warming themselves by a fire are two robots that are hanging out by the door that players will use later in Stray . Players can nuzzle against both of their legs, and Riko even has a cozy spot next to him on the sofa for a catnap.

Around halfway into their quest, the tiny duo will travel to the Antvillage to find one of the Outsiders, and B-12 will uncover a significant memory here .

Players will be tasked with finding Zbaltazar , one of the Outsiders that made the dangerous trek through the sewers in an attempt to see the world. He is also one of the robots that players can interact with for this trophy.

Due to Zbaltazar’s seated position and less than conventional appearance (by robot standards), players must walk behind him after their initial conversation with him. There, the small cat can snuggle up to his back, which Zbaltazar seems to enjoy.

RELATED: Stray: Every Badge (& Where to Find Them)

As players near their goal, they will reach Midtown, a brightly neon-lit city that has been taken over by Peacemaker robots and their Sentinels. Here, players must find Clementine in order to progress the story, but there are legs to be nuzzled first.

After exiting the subway, players should head to a small room to the right where B-12 can regain another memory, and the cat can rub against Ledoc, who is cozily wrapped in a blanket.

Players will come across an out-of-service elevator before entering Midtown proper, where players can jump on the railing to walk behind it. Here, players can find a scratching point as well as Bonobot, who is one of the few robots that aren’t too sure about their new fur friend .

As they enter Midtown, players will spot a robot wearing a white jacket standing outside a shop to the right. Inside is a safe , but players will first want to give Paoudre a nuzzle to help them feel better about being sold a faulty battery.

Koondy and Krooni

Found outside Mattbee’s small cafe, players can find these two robots chatting with one another. Much to the cat’s delight (and player's), both of them will accept nuzzles.

Peacemaker 198

Unlike in the Slums, law enforcement robots are ever present in Midtown . This Peacemaker can be found standing to the left of a vehicle speaking to the disgruntled driver. Players can rub against their legs, but it’s not a welcome interaction on the Peacemaker’s side.

And with that, players can feel at peace knowing that they have made several friends over the course of this short but sweet journey, earning the Cat’s Best Friend trophy in the process.

Stray is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC.

How to Find All 4 Vending Machines and Energy Drink Cans

Stray: complete guide & walkthrough, how to dunk the basketball (boom chat kalaka).

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Stray Nuzzle Up Against Robots & Unlock the Cat’s Best Friend Trophy

The Stray Cat’s Best Friend Trophy is a trophy that tasks the player to nuzzle up against 5 robots. Like other trophies in Stray , it is easily attainable but it is something you can completely overlook if you’re not paying attention. How to nuzzle up against robots in Stray?

This guide will help you get this trophy by cozying up to these 5 Companions. Of course, these aren’t the only ones you can cuddle up against but these are the ones you’re less likely to miss.

How to Nuzzle Up Against Robot Companions in Stray

Interacting with robots in Stray is as simple as pressing the Q key on a PC or the triangle button on a PlayStation controller. Without further ado, here are all the companion locations on where you can nuzzle up against robots in Stray:

The Slums – Grandma

Grandma in the slums cannot be missed. For one, she has a request that needs to be fulfilled in order for the story to progress. And two, she’s GRANDMA! You mustn’t avoid giving grandma a big ol’ hug. Enough said.

Antvillage – Zbaltazar

Another character you need to meet in order for the story to progress, Zbaltazar has become one with the network through his meditations. Apart from that, nuzzling up this guy is worth seeing all the hearts.

Midtown – Ledoc

Ledoc leads a very isolated life, being so close to the Subway Station . But he does take care of so many books that are focused around the study of AI, so he’s got that going for him.

Midtown – Bonobot

Now Bonobot is a strange fellow. He advertises talking poetry by his little hangout spot behind the elevator at the front of Midtown. But he’s so lost in the ebbs and flow of it all that he often forgets what he originally advertised. Worse still, he doesn’t even smile when a cute cuddly cat nuzzles up against him. Hope things get better soon, buddy.

Midtown – Alex

Alex is a very chill guy. He let us in the same club the grumpy bouncer denied us access. Well, we had to sneak in from the back, and thankfully our boy was cool with that.

How to unlock the Cat’s Best Friend Trophy in Stray

So, what will you get for all that nuzzling? A trophy of course. The Stray Cat’s best friend trophy can be unlocked if the player has nuzzled up against all robots listed above. There are a lot of nice and wholesome trophies in Stray, this might be the nicest one of all.

If you want to know how we think about the game read our review for Stray . Also check out our other Stray guides and articles :

• Stray Trophy List – How to Get Platinum
• Can You Customize Your Cat in Stray?
• Will Stray Be On Xbox Game Pass?
• Stray PC System Requirements
• Stray Length – How Long to Beat The Game?
• Stray Chapter List – How Many Chapters in Stray
• Is Stray an Open World Game?
• Stray – How to Avoid the Sentinels in Midtown
• Stray – How to Complete the Sewers Without Killing Zurks
• Stray – How to Complete the First Zurk Pursuit Without Being Caught
• Stray Badges – How to get all badges in Stray
• Stray vinyl record – Where to find the Vinyl in the Club
• Stray Sheet Music Locations and How to Get Them
• Stray – All B-12 Memories locations and How to Get Them
• Stray Notebook Locations
• Stray Energy Drink Locations – All Vending Machines
• Stray Safe Mysterious Password – Binary Code Translator Guide
• Stray how to dunk a basketball – Boom Chat Kalaka trophy guide
• Stray Nuzzle Up Against Robots & Unlock the Cat’s Best Friend Trophy
• Stray – how to die and unlock the No More Lives Trophy
• Stray Scratching Locations – How to unlock the Territory Trophy

Check out this Stray full gameplay video by VGS – Video Game Sophistry :

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How to Nuzzle Up Against Robots in Stray (Cat’s Best Friend Trophy)

Wondering how to nuzzle up against robots in Stray ? Worry not, as you’ve come to the right place. Below, we’ll outline exactly how to rub up against robots in your bid to unlock the Cat’s Best Friend trophy. I mean, robots love cats just as much as humans, right? So, without further delay, let’s jump into it, shall we?

Stray – How to Nuzzle Up Against Robots (Cat’s Best Friend Trophy)

Thankfully, this trophy should be a cinch. All you need to do is interact with a robot by pressing the Q key on PC or triangle on PS5 when you’re next to a robot.

It’s worth noting, however, that you may not be able to do this with the first robot that you encounter in the game. Instead, look out for a robot in the Slums, which is the first village that you’ll arrive at in Stray .

When you get close to the robot, a contextual button prompt should pop up when you’re in the right place. Press the Q key on PC or the triangle button on PS5, and – voila! – the Cat’s Best Friend trophy will be yours.

So, there you have it. We hope this helped to clue you in on how to nuzzle up against robots in Stray . For more on the game, be sure to search for Twinfinite. And as always, if you have any questions that you can’t see answered on the site, feel free to reach out in the comments below, and we’ll try our best to lend a hand… or a paw.

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Stray: How to acquire the Poncho and where to use it

You’ll need the Super Spirit Detergent and Electric Cable to warm up Elliot the repair robot

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In Stray , you can collect a variety of items and give them to the various robot NPCs around the world. Some of these items — like Sheet Music and energy drink cans — are totally optional. Others, like the Poncho, you’ll need to complete the main story quest.

In this Stray guide, we’ll teach you how to get the Super Spirit Detergent, the Electric Cable, and the Poncho so you can fix the Broken Tracker.

Note : You can do this quest in chapter four, but you won’t need to complete it until the end of chapter six.

How to get the Super Spirit Detergent

From the Guardian robot, do a 180, take a right, and climb up to the rooftops. You should see some robots chucking paint cans from one side of the roof to the other. Climb over to them.

The robot on the lower roof (the one throwing the paint cans) is the target here. Turns out they’re very easily startled by loud noises. Talk to them and the game will prompt you to meow. Hit the meow button just before the robot throws and it’ll drop a paint can onto the street. This will summon the grumpy robot that runs the laundromat. Once the paint can falls, they’ll unlock their door and start clearing their stoop.

Make your way back down to the street and walk through the laundromat’s front door. Immediately to your left you’ll see two tables pushed together. Jump up and grab the Super Spirit Detergent bottle next to the Super Spirit box.

How to get the Electric Cable

Take your new bottle of detergent over to Azooz, the robot who runs the shop to the right of the Guardian. Select the Electric Cable off the ground and trade your Super Spirit Detergent for it.

How to get the Poncho

With your Electric Cable stowed in B12’s backpack, head back to the Guardian and look for a signpost. Follow the signs to Grandma’s clothing store. Trade her the Electric Cable and she’ll make you a poncho. Sadly, this is not a cat-sized poncho, but a robot-sized one. Luckily, there’s a nearby robot who needs it for warmth.

What to do with the Poncho

Find another signpost and follow it to Elliot’s repair shop. You’ll know you’ve found it when you come across a red door covered in posters and writing. Scratch on the door and a robot will answer. Slide through the open door and go up the stairs. Talk to Elliot and offer him the Poncho. He’ll instantly drape himself in the gift and offer his repair services should you require them.

If you already have the Broken Tracker, hand it over to Elliot and he’ll fix it for you. If not, continue along the critical path until you get it.

Once you’ve fixed the Broken Tracker, return to Seamus so you can head into chapter seven.

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Stray producer on how a design limitation led to being "utterly inspired"

The cat’s out of the bag.

There are a lot of games that feature cats, but Stray is the only one that puts the feline experience front and center — right down to the trademark annoying behaviors.

Ever since its reveal at Sony’s State of Play presentation in 2020, it’s drawn the attention of cat lovers around the world. Developers at Blue Twelve have a deep love for cats — which should come as no surprise — intertwined with a desire to create a unique cyberpunk world filled with robots.

What you might not know, however, is that the game’s original vision looked very different and decidedly less robotic.

“They started doing some tests with human NPCs,” producer Swann Martin-Raget tells Inverse , “but realized that to have the level of visual quality and fidelity they wanted for the whole game would be extremely time-consuming and very hard to do with a small team. So we started to do some experiments with robots that are a bit easier to modelize and place in the scenes.”

Ahead of Stray’s July release , Inverse spoke with Martin-Raget about the inspiration behind the game and why more thoughtful presentations of animals in gaming at large is something he wants to see more of.

The interview below has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Where did the idea for Stray first come from?

Martin-Raget - Viv and Koola, who are the co-founders of the studio and directors on the project, were artists before starting the company. They have always been fascinated by a place that no longer exists — the Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong. It was a very unique place with the density of people being extremely high, and that resulted in construction that almost felt organic, the amount of detail and the number of things that are put together were fascinating to them.

So they started to think about an artistic direction based on that reference, and as they were doing so they started to realize that it was really the perfect playground for a cat, with the number of different paths and the amount of really fresh and interesting points of view.

Kowloon Walled City was, at one time, the most densely populated place on Earth. Although it was torn down in the 1990s, it served as the main inspiration for Stray’s setting.

Was the idea for a cyberpunk city inhabited by robots there from the start?

Martin-Raget - So that came a bit later. At the beginning, it was because of production constraints. When they were working on the game, they knew from the start that they wanted to remain a small team, it's something we really appreciate. They started doing some tests with human NPCs, but realized that to have the level of visual quality and fidelity they wanted for the whole game would be extremely time-consuming and very hard to do with a small team.

So we started to do some experiments with robots that are a bit easier to modelize and place in the scenes. As soon as we did that, we felt utterly inspired by the contrast between the cats being small, alive, and cute, and the machines being a bit more cold and angular.

Also, it inspired a lot of questions about the background in the backstory, like, ‘Who are these robots? Where are the humans? What is this place? ‘ So what was initially a production constraint ended up being something that really utterly inspired us. Also, it helps that we've always been fascinated by films like Blade Runner, I'm guessing you can tell from the look of the game.

Were there any other pieces of media or games where you play as an animal that you looked to as inspiration?

Martin-Raget - Something we realized along the way is that there is really not a lot, if any, references that we could use for controls and interactions. We knew quite very early in the project the type of situations and gameplay that we wanted, and it was really a bit of exploring, technically and in terms of animation as well. The most prolific inspiration was definitely our cats as a team and the cats that we have in the office that come to work with us every day.

Did you ever consider doing mo-cap?

Martin-Raget - Miko is the person that made the vast majority of cat animation in the game. He's really fluent and talented with keyframe animation, so we started the project using this technique. We heard about studios that provide actual cat motion capture — it was really funny for us to see the video of these poor cats in full mocap suits.

But we were quite happy with the freedom that making our own animation was giving us. Also, we have some situations in the game that would be very difficult and dangerous to ask a real cat to do.

Murtaugh was one of the many studio cats that inspired Stray, and in particular, was the reference for the main character.

Do you think playing as animals is something that we could explore more in games?

Martin-Raget - Yes, I do. There's so much inspiration in nature, that it's absolutely something that still holds a lot of gameplay opportunities and stories. Most of the team being cat owners and cat lovers, that was definitely our passion. The Twitter account “Can You Pet the Dog” shows that there's a lot of love for these mechanics. It's really interesting.

Do you have any favorite mechanics or things you can do in the game?

Martin-Raget - When you use your claws on the sofa, we actually have force feedback on the triggers. That really gives you a satisfying feeling of destroying an expensive piece of furniture. Now, instead of being annoyed that my cat is ruining everything at my home, I kind of felt the pleasure that this gives him, so that's my favorite feature. For sure.

Was it difficult to integrate DualSense technology into the game?

Martin-Raget - The physicality of the cat and being part of this interactive world was really important for us from start. We really wanted to try to make you feel like you're inside this world, and that the cat's body,.

So the type of feedback that the controller can give you was really a great opportunity. It was always interesting to add a very specific vibration and try to see how it feels. For example, when the cat is sleeping, you have a purring sound that comes out of the speaker, and also very subtle vibration, it really feels like you're holding a kitten in your hand. It’s very impressive the amount of subtlety that you can put into these vibrations, and we tried to explore as much of them as we could.

Stray primarily focuses on exploration, but did you ever consider including more straightforward action sequences?

Martin-Raget - We never considered actual fighting mechanics involving the cat. The bottom line is really the adventure, the pacing, and the rhythm at which we tell this journey. The story was something that was super high in our priorities.

Without spoiling anything, at some point in the story B12, the little drone that accompanies you, has abilities that allow him to counterattack the enemies that have been bullying us since the start of the game.

Speaking of B12, why did you decide to have a companion to the cat? Is there a relationship that develops between them throughout the experience?

Martin-Raget - The initial inspiration was really having a set of abilities that naturally complete the cat's natural skills. Cats are not really good when interacting with technology. This allowed us to have a lot more interesting and surprising things to do in the game. It also makes a very interesting character. He has his own developments in the game and his relationship with the cat also is something quite important that unfolds as you progress in your journey.

Stray has three stories that play out simultaneously; the cat’s story, B12’s story, and the story of the robots and the city.

When Stray was first revealed it got a lot of attention. Has there been pressure on the team since you revealed it?

Martin-Raget - We weren't expecting the size of the excitement when we first revealed the game. We were extremely excited to see all the people, especially the cat owners, reacting to the game and being super interested in what we're making.

That was definitely what we were aiming for, but also we realized that we were a small team, this is our first game, and a lot of people are looking at us now. So we need to have something that is really polished as much as we can, and the experience to be as detailed and as real as we want it to be.

In terms of showing the game off, there was kind of a big quiet period there from the reveal up until the recent release date announcement. Was that an intentional decision, or was it more of a logistical thing?

Martin-Raget - It was definitely our intention to have the reveal of the concept to see how people react to the game that we're making, and then try to really focus on the production. We always knew that we wanted to communicate when the game was really close to being ready, and that was a helpful decision in letting us focus on creating the best experience possible.

As this is Blue Twelve’s first release, what does putting this game out mean for you as developers? And where do you go from here?

Martin-Raget - It really depends a lot on how players will enjoy the game and will react. We're still trying to finish, and have the best-polished experience as possible. So we try not to extrapolate too much on what is going to happen next. Depending on the feedback we have, we might think very differently about the future. So this being our first game, we feel that the best course is to see what happens and react to this.

Stray launches on July 19 for PS4, PS5, and PC.

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There are several types of robots in Stray . Between them they comprise the entirety of the non-player Characters within Walled City 99 .

• Companions : Androids, "designed to caretake for all life forms". These are the most common, and all have unique names and personalities.
• Helpers : Androids with names like Helper 477 , designed as "autonomous cleaners".
• Peacemakers : Enforcement android with names like Peacemaker 22106 .
• Sentinels : Unnamed and armed drones, used for enforcement.
• Laboratory droids : Roughly box-shaped robots that, if activated, will follow whoever activated them.
• Drones: Small robotic planes that move by hovering in the air, featuring with B-12 .

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A surprisingly tricky trophy is driving Stray players up the wall

Can’t Cat-ch Me

When I cracked into Stray for the first time, I didn’t think I’d have to worry about how best to zig-zag, juke, and even “drift” as a cat — but when a coveted trophy is on the line, everything’s on the table. Half an hour of failed attempts and several slow-mo guide videos later, I’ve finally gotten Can’t Cat-ch Me, a simple yet deceptively hard trophy.

It’s one of the earliest trophies/achievements you can (theoretically) get in Stray , but I’m here to say that it might be best to save it until after you’ve finished the game. It could put you into a sour mood if you try to force it, so don’t let it gnaw away. Come back later.

**Spoilers below**

In the second chapter, there’s a tense chase sequence on the city streets with Headcrab-esque creatures called the Zurks. They’ll scurry, leap, and glom onto your cat, and if you don’t shake them off quickly enough, that’ll be the end of this journey. Try again.

In a puzzle-solving adventure game that is overwhelmingly chill, these little creeps are very threatening. They’re relentless, as they’re meant to be, and that works well in the context of the ruined city’s story. But when it comes to this trophy, the struggle is real.

• Can’t Cat-ch Me : Complete the first Zurk pursuit without being caught.

The chase sequence is about a minute long — how hard could it be? I feared the two-hour speedrun more than anything else, but that seems way less stressful by comparison; there’s room for error, at least. Here, you have to memorize every rushdown and pray.

That’s your home!

In general, zig-zagging is the play. But sometimes, it’s best to strategically run into a group of Zurks and swerve at the last second. Other times, you might need to take a wide swing from one wall all the way to the other, to draw out certain Zurk leaps. It’s not so much avoiding coming into contact with them as it is making sure they don’t land on top of you.

Of course, in practice, it feels like devious RNG is pulling the strings.

Are you too good for your home?

Here’s a successful Can’t Cat-ch Me run from Stone Edge Gaming :

And another from PowerPyx :

Visualizing it can help.

If you’re going for the Can’t Cat-ch Me trophy in Stray , I would recommend rebinding the run input to something comfortable (not the default R2 on PS5), just in case you’re stuck here for a while. Other players recommend increasing the sensitivity, but I kept it as is.

Misery loves company

A few reactions from other  Stray players to help ease the pain:

• “This is purely on random luck.”
• “Took a solid 45 minutes, sometimes zig-zagging works sometimes they get you no matter what.”
• “This trophy really makes me wonder why we trophy hunters do this to ourselves.”
• “ Stray isn’t free if you want the platinum. It costs at least one controller.”

Good luck. You can do it!

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Spider Robot to Help Untangle Cucumber Disease

An NC State engineer and plant pathologist work together to create robotics to get ahead of cucurbit downy mildew, a devastating cucumber disease.

Under the control of NC State University biological and agricultural engineering graduate student Zhenghua Zhang, a six-legged, spider-like robot skitters across cucumber rows at the Central Crops Research Station in Clayton. 

His faculty mentor, Lirong Xiang, and plant pathologist Lina Quesada-Ocampo are counting on the robot to help get farmers out of the pickle they’re in when it comes to combating the worst disease affecting the U.S. crop and its cousins.

For nearly two years, the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative-affiliated researchers have worked together to come up with ways to help growers better manage cucurbit downy mildew. This summer, they hope to test the robot, which was built in Xiang’s lab, on farmers’ fields. That wil give them a better idea of whether it will indeed be something growers can use to get ahead of the disease.

An Old Pest Poses New Challenges

Present in the United States since the late 1800s, cucurbit downy mildew causes leaf lesions that can lower yields and even kill plants of the gourd family, including cucumbers, cantaloupes, watermelons, squash and pumpkins.

Growers had long avoided the disease by planting resistant crop varieties. But in 2004, that changed. In an epidemic that was first noticed in North Carolina, the disease devastated once-resistant cucumber varieties, leaving some farmers to abandon their fields rather than harvest them.

Our goal is to help growers know precisely when to spray and what to spray.

As Quesada-Ocampo explains, inexpensive broad-spectrum fungicides didn’t work against the disease, so growers had to turn to expensive chemicals to stop their losses. 

Not only that, farmers weren’t always sure which of these sprays would work against the fungus-like pathogen that causes the disease.

“The growers have this kind of catch-22, where they need to start spraying before the disease comes so that the fungicide is most effective, but they don’t want to do it too early, because then it becomes financially difficult for them to be able to afford all those sprays,” says Quesada-Ocampo, a William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor in NC State’s Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology. 

“Not only that, the pathogen, which is called Pseudoperonospora cubensis, can develop resistance very quickly,” she adds. “So sometimes growers will be applying these various expensive sprays, and they’re not working. It’s like a double whammy. Our goal is to help growers know precisely when to spray and what to spray.”

Devising a Practical Solution

When Quesada-Ocampo began thinking of ways to get to that goal, she and her Ph.D. student Mariana Prieto had a couple of important tools at their disposal: diagnostic tests that could help them understand more about the resistance of disease-causing spores to certain chemicals, plus stationary traps that could capture airborne spores in fields before plants show symptoms.

The problem was that while the traps worked fine in a one-acre test plot, commercial growers didn’t think they’d be practical on their larger farms. Checking and changing hundreds of traps spread throughout their fields every week would be too labor-intensive for an industry already facing labor shortages, they told Quesada-Ocampo.

One grower suggested that to speed the process, they could use drones to pull spore traps through the air above the field, and Quesada-Ocampo pursued that idea. 

The trap in the drone works great because it can fly right over the crop canopy and sample large areas quickly, but there may be limitations.”

“But the turbulence that the drone has caused issues with the spore traps we were using,” Quesada-Ocampo says. “We didn’t realize that would happen because we weren’t engineers.”

Enter Xiang, who joined NC State’s Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering as an assistant professor in 2022. As a Ph.D. student and postdoctoral researcher at Iowa State University, Xiang had studied agricultural robotics, artificial intelligence and machine vision.

Quesada-Ocampo and Xiang talked about ways to partner to take the cucurbit downy mildew project in new directions. Xiang initially designed a vacuum trap that hangs on a cable from the drone and sucks spores from the air. 

While it worked better than the traditional stationary trap they’d been using, there were still problems. Spore trapping works best when it happens close to the plant canopy, not from far above, and drone flight restrictions can be an obstacle. 

“The trap in the drone works great because it can fly right over the crop canopy and sample large areas quickly, but there may be limitations of using the drone itself in certain areas due to local regulations,” Quesada-Ocampo says.

She had another idea: hitching the vacuum trap to a robot. A robot on wheels wouldn’t work because it would get tangled in the cucumber vines. 

But what about a spider-shaped robot?

Xiang had been working on a legged robot inspired by an insect, and she and her students Zhenghua Zhang and Weilong He got to work devising one that could carry the vacuum trap through cucumber fields without tripping on the vines.

Funding for the project has come from Pickle Packers International Inc., the NC State Chancellor’s Innovation Fund, the N.C. Biotechnology Center, the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative and the N.C. Agricultural Foundation.

Hopes for the Project’s Future

The six-legged “spider” demonstrated at the Central Crops station is a prototype, Xiang explains, and work is underway to make it more practical for growers to use. 

We’re trying to see if essentially this spider could diagnose onsite.

“Our next step is to use a camera to build three-dimensional models of its surroundings and use that for navigation. It’s going to be able to navigate in the field by itself without us having to manually control it,” Xiang says. “We’ll train a deep learning artificial intelligence model to tell, ‘Oh, this is a cucumber. Avoid this. But this soil is safe to step on.’”

Quesada-Ocampo has other ideas, as well.

“Right now, the vehicle would go out and sample, and we still need to take those samples back into the lab for processing,” she says. “But we want to be able to incorporate infield diagnostics, so we’re trying to see if essentially this spider could diagnose onsite.”

Looking ahead, Quesada-Ocampo and Xiang are also considering ways they could apply similar technology to battle other pathogens. One idea is to use the vacuum spore traps in sweetpotato packing houses, and another involves monitoring irrigation water for pathogens that can cause plant diseases.

In the end, they’ll consider their work a success if it helps keep cucumber farming sustainable in North Carolina and beyond.

“Because growers need to manage risk, some may apply fungicides weekly or biweekly to make sure everything’s OK. But that costs money,” Quesada-Ocampo says. “If we could reduce input costs for them and reduce disease losses for them at the same time, I would consider that a great success.”

• N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative
• agricultural robotics
• agricultural technology

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