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DUMBO – The Future of Hazelnut Harvesting
Meet DUMBO –The Hazelnut-Hungry Machine!
What do you get when you mix elephants, innovation, and cutting-edge engineering? You get DUMBO, a futuristic hazelnut harvester designed and developed for Ferrero Rocher in collaboration with IED Turin and CNH (New Holland).
This wasn’t just another farming machine. It was a reimagination of how harvesting technology could evolve—with smarter functionality, adaptable features, and a playful spirit.
Why “DUMBO”?
The inspiration came straight from the mighty elephant itself!
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- The Trunk=The Harvester’s MainBody- Big, sturdy, and powerful, just like an elephant’s trunk.
- The Ears=The Vacuums onBothSides- Two large, extendable vacuums sucked up hazelnuts from the ground.
- Blowing Power = Bottom Blowers - Just like an elephant kicks up dust, our design blew remaining hazelnuts to the next row, ensuring nothing was left behind.
The result? A fun-yet-fierce harvester that blends playfulness with high-end technology.
Two Distinct Designs – Two Different Personalities
When CNH and Ferrero reviewed our concepts, they found themselves in a delightful dilemma—both our designs were exceptional. Instead of choosing one, they decided to move forward with two radically different approaches:
The Automotive-InspiredBeast– A Muscular Powerhouse
This design took inspiration from cars and trucks, making it a bold, sleek, and aerodynamic harvester. The aesthetic was all about flowing lines, muscle, and adaptability.
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- Twin Vacuums & Twin Blowers- Positioned on both sides and extendable, covering a wider harvesting area based on the row width.
- Rear Storage Trunk- A large storage compartment for collected hazelnuts, featuring a ground-facing unloading system to dump hazelnuts onto the ground or into baskets without extra machinery.
- Blended Surfacing & Aerodynamics - Unlike traditional, bulky farming equipment, this harvester had smooth curves and a modern, performance-driven look.
This design was for future-forward farmers who value efficiency, aesthetics, and advanced automation.
The Insect-Inspired Workhorse – A Raw, Functional Marvel
While the first design was about style and power, this one was about pure efficiency and adaptability. Inspired by insects and industrial machines, it embraced a minimalistic, mechanical design.
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- Compact, No-Nonsense Cabin- Unlike the first design’s full-sized cabin, this one was small, enclosed, and purely functional.
- Rotating Wooden Storage Bins- – A unique conveyor-based system with six wooden boxes that rotated as each bin filled up. The system automatically detected when a bin reached maximum capacity using weight sensors.
- Robotic Arms for Vacuum Expansion - Instead of simple extension mechanisms, the vacuums extended using robotic arms, dynamically adjusting based on field conditions.
- Adaptive Turning System - A single pivot point in the back helped reduce the turning radius when needed, making navigation in tight farm spaces ultra-efficient.
This design was practical, smart, and perfect for farmers looking for reliability over aesthetics.
From Concept to Real-Time Engineering
At theCraftiqs, we don’t just stop at design—we bring ideas to life in the most immersive way possible.
Creatingthe 3D Models
Once the designs were finalized, we moved into 3D development:
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- 3D ModelsBuilt inBlender- Every curve, joint, and mechanical component was crafted with precision.
- Advanced Rigging in Autodesk Maya- Instead of simple movement controls, we built a complex IK rig system, similar to a human skeleton, allowing the harvester to move naturally in real time.
This design was practical, smart, and perfect for farmers looking for reliability over aesthetics.
The Breakthrough: Real-Time Interactive Simulation in Unreal Engine 5
Most studios stop at renders and animations, but we wanted to take it further. Instead of showing pre-rendered videos, we thought—why not make the harvester fully interactive?
So, we built a real-time, physics-based simulation in Unreal Engine 5 that let users control and test the harvester live.
Key Features of Our Interactive Simulation
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- Fully Drivable Harvester- The insect-inspired model was completely functional and could be controlled with a keyboard or joystick.
- Physics-Based Hazelnut Collection- Hazelnuts were not just visual elements; they had actual physics properties, meaning they could be picked up, stored, and unloaded dynamically.
- Extendable Arms & Vacuums- Just like the real design, the vacuums and blowers extended and retracted in real-time.
- Adaptive Pivot Steering- The harvester could reduce or lock its turning radius, mimicking the real-world mechanics we designed.
- Interactive Farm Environment- We built an entire hazelnut field, complete with rows of trees and dynamic lighting, to create a realistic test scenario.
This wasn’t just a demo—it was a fully functional prototype running on high-fidelity game engine technology.
