Ud, Anna, and Jamilly are high school students from Cascavel, a northeastern Brazilian city. In the city of Cascavel, only 14% of the population has formal employment and more than 48% of the people earn only half the minimum wage. Most families’ alternative for survival is agricultural production.

Farming for survival

Farming in Cascavel is carried out in rudimentary conditions, working under scorching heat, with few resources and support regarding technological tools. Ud and his friends initiated the idea to create a machine that could take the hard work off the farming families’ hands.

Simplifying the sowing process

Ud and the team realized that replacing manual work with machines would simplify the farming process as well as put more food on the families’ tables, resulting in less need for agricultural labor. The students invented a sowing robot, Vespertílio.

Assembled with recyclable materials and powered by solar energy, Vespertílio moves at a consistent speed, evenly burying the seeds under the soil.

“Machinery is very expensive for the farmers. We developed a completely sustainable robot to lower the cost barrier,” said Ud. “Motorcycle and car parts have been recycled as the robot’s parts, mounted with a solar power plate. We built a system that defines the amount of the seeds and the gaps in between.”

More production with less physical effort

“Vespertílio can increase production with less physical effort, expanding the supply of food at a lower cost and reducing impacts on the environment,” Ud commented. “Farmers can improve their quality of life, producing more with less physical exertion. We can help half the population of Cascavel and provide better livelihoods for the 30,000 people.”

“We submitted our idea to Samsung Solve for Tomorrow with hopes to utilize our knowledge in helping the society, and Vespertílio won the national prize!” said Anna and Jamilly. “We are incredibly happy about this achievement, and have been inspired even more to create a positive impact.”

Vespertílio is an inspiring invention that demonstrates Ud, Anna, and Jamilly’s ingenuity, love, and care for their community.