Saturday, April 21, 2012

Robots: Coming to a Farm Near You

        I accidentally found an article in a newspaper on the research and development of robots in agriculture. Now I don't know where I've been hiding the last few years, but I was very surprise that the development of robots in agriculture has progressed as far as it has. I'm well aware of GPS used on farms. However, there still must be an operator for the equipment. Someone has to adjust equipment on the go and and monitor for any problems.


      A hundred years ago agriculture was a very labor intensive industry. That was almost one hundred years after the reaper had been invented. Fruit farming and vegetable farming are still highly labor intensive. So that's where most of the research on robots has been centered. A number of robots have been developed to pick fruit and prune trees. Most of his work is done now by laborers who must hand pick the fruit.


     Other robots have been developed to operate on grain farms. Seeders have been developed to sow crops. Harvesters have been developed to harvest grain crops.


     Most robots are in a prototype stage. the next hurdle is to be able to mass produce them. In order to mass produce they need a market. The market will develop if they can persuade farmers to buy these machines. The machines have to be able to cost effective for the agricultural industry.


      So I ask myself where I've been the last ten years when all this has been going on? Obviously under some  very large toadstool!

20 comments:

  1. Imagine what these robots will look like in another ten years.

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    1. Good point! Also imagine what else may be here that we have never thought of?

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  2. Well, I have been there right along with you, Red! I had no idea! Interesting, but I wonder if farmers will be able to afford this equipment, and make it cost-effective!

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    1. Probably family farms s we know them today will not use these robots. the large industrial farms will make use of them. My family farms 8000 acres. They might want robots but I think they will be pricey and they will not be able to buy them.

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  3. That's funny, Red. I'm reading a story right now about robots, but they don't behave like these do. These robots are actually kind of cute. BTW, I love your new header with the cool lettering.

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  4. Fiction has had robots for a long time. Scifi stuff is full of robots. A robot vacuum cleaner was demonstrated about ten years ago but I don't think it has been sold commercially.
    My son did the header and I don't know where he got the font but I'll tell him you like it.

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  5. I wish they had a robot to check heifers in the night. I guess some people DO use cameras in barns but ours are out so that wouldn't work.

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  6. I knew that comment was coming from you. In all the pictures I saw there was nothing for handling livestock.

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  7. The new tractors and combines (which we can not afford, by the way)are ran by gps now...almost like a robot. The operator is just in there to keep cool and listen to the radio while the computer drives, plants, whatever is needed.

    Linda
    http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

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  8. Yes there's automation besides gps but they still need an operator to see that things don't come off the rails. By the way seeding hasn't started here yet.

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  9. You're so funny!
    I loathe this, we need to find jobs, not get rid of workers!

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  10. Here in the west we;re crying for workers. Yes we need jobs. For my brothers' farming operation it would not be profitable with labor. Sadly they need huge equipment and lots of land to have a profitable operation. I do lead a sheltered life!

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  11. Robots, yes, they are all around us. Even in our forests. Here, in our little town, a new piece has been added onto the Ganong Chocolate Factory and this will be all robotic, so some humans will lose jobs. I read more and more about robots and see more and more humans sitting idly by, while the robot does the work - imagine how they will advance in 10-20 years - the robots that is and where exactly does that put those non working humans?
    I like your blog Red and really enjoy reading your posts.
    Thanks :)

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  12. The increase in high tech and robotics will increase tremendously. People will have to be trained in technology. Thanks for appreciating the post. So 10 -20 years from now there won't be any robots where I am!!!

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  13. I must have been hiding somewhere with my head in the sand...a robotic orange picker? And it can do this with out destroying the tree?...fast enough to make it productive?

    And when we've made all human occupation redundant...what then? Human beings so full of rage that they kill each other just to have something to do?

    Did someone forget to read "Brave New World" or "1984"?

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  14. But aren't we supposed to have all the leisure time which is supposed to be self improvement??? Us kill one another?? Never!! I'm afraid you're right we are doing a good job of killing each other now say nothing of some dirty little wars.

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  15. When we had the resort I often remarked that I wanted a robotic lawn mower to mow the steep hill!
    Have you seen those Rombas or the scrubber one called the mint for cleaning floors..I could have used that too:)

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  16. I have seen the vacuum cleaner but not the washers.

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  17. This seems such a fascinating invention. I think it would also be very much useful in ranches if they could extend the technology :)

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  18. This could be a two edged sward as it may put many people out of work and then people wouldn't have money to buy things.

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