Imagine a farmer robot on wheels, which at each “shift” can cover up to 20 hectares (50 acres) of cultivated fields in search of diseases, pests and all sorts of agricultural problems. And then stop imagining, because theprecision farming it also has this in store.
Look, that's the name. The prototype robot, which rolls across fields like a bale of hay, could save us quite a bit on pesticides and fertilizers. Its creators believe it is perfectly capable of determining what plants “want”.
Because it can be very useful
The moment of sowing is crucial for a farmer: it is the first step towards the production of a crop, but it is also the most risky.
Production costs are practically all concentrated in this phase. And the unknowns are many, from adverse climatic conditions to plant diseases, passing through parasitic infestations.
Nothing should be left to chance, but manual crop inspection can be long and tiring, even with the use of drones. This is why a light and mobile farmer robot, which does not damage plants, could be the ideal solution for farmers who want to reduce costs and working hours.
How does the farmer robot Sentiv work?
SENTIV uses GPS coordinates to delimit the boundaries of the field, and uses them as a guide to map the entire field.
With his cameras, the robotic farmer scans both the underside and the top of the plants. His algorithms then analyze the images for threats, monitoring plant growth and identifying any signs that indicate the need for more or less water or nutrients.
The height of the wheel is easily adjustable so as not to damage the crops while passing. Simple yet effective. As always, I'll show you the video first.
How agriculture will change
The landscape of traditional farms, where farmers and animals work together in the fields, is about to change dramatically.
With the development of robots of various sizes, costs related to labor and materials are being phased out. Some can deliver fertilizer and herbicide at breakneck speeds: others can plow and 24/24 autonomous weeding.
Farmer 2.0 looks more and more like a supervisor. Less calluses, better and more abundant products. The future is greener.
