Do Flood-Prone Communities Need More SandBags? This Machine Might Be Able To Be A Big Help

Picture credit: Chris Gallagher on Unsplash

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The process, at least on the surface, is pretty simple.

Human operators check the level of sand in the hopper and attach a clipped bag to a conveyor belt. The robotic Baggerbot machine does the rest.

Welcome to the world of partially automated sandbag production; the current process requires just three human operators at a time. The goal is to completely automate the process with a robot.

Why sandbags? Why the Baggerbot? Because possible increased flooding linked to climate change means the demand for sandbags is reportedly rising as well. 

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To learn more about and to invest in this product, visit their campaign page here: https: www.startengine.com/baggerbot 

While humans can fill sandbags, the process is laborious and can cause injuries. Using a machine that can run 24/7 to spit out 1,600 filled and sewn sandbags per hour is arguably far more efficient, allowing people to focus on other pressing issues caused by natural disasters. Along with increased productivity, Baggerbot also provides improved safety for workers and volunteers, and better long term cost-savings by mitigating damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure caused by major floods. 

Other Uses, Too

The Baggerbot, patented in both the United States and China, is an 8-foot-by-20-foot cargo container that’s 10 feet tall and can be shipped anywhere in the world. The electric panels housing all the vital engineering components such as circuit boards, drives and interface controls are designed to withstand a harsh environment.

While the main purpose is to mitigate flood damage, the company behind the Baggerbot, San Jose-based Brigade Automation Corp., also wants to provide bags produced by the machine to commercial and industrial enterprises such as quarries, emergency response companies, the oil and gas industry and landscape contractors. Major quarry and building materials companies like Martin Marietta Materials Inc. MLM and Mexico-based Cemex S.A.B de CV CX are potential users.

The machine produces up to 140 different types of bags that also can be filled with products such as tea and coffee.

Baggerbot’s working prototype is located in Santa Clara, CA, and has been tested and used in the field at Lehigh Hanson quarries, and meets MSHA compliance standards.

*The machine above is a prototype. BAC is working with the San Jose State University, Mechanical Engineering Department, to complete the 100% fully autonomous design which is approximately 95% complete as of publication date.

Natural disaster mitigation is the focus for now. Given its lightweight makeup, Brigade says the Baggerbot can easily be transported on a trailer anywhere. The focus, for now, is the United States. 

The Baggerbot could help prepare for a flood before it arrives by pumping out a high volume of sandbags with minimal human involvement. 

With almost 300 weather-related flood disasters in the U.S. since 1980 and subsequent damages totaling nearly $2 trillion, Brigade hopes that the Baggerbot may become a helpful tool in mitigating the devastating effects of natural disasters.

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