Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

precision agriculture

FarmWise launches autonomous weeding robot

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San Francisco-based startup FarmWise has started production of its first generation of autonomous weeding robots after successful tests in 2018 and has already secured bookings for 2019.

The company says the robot can help farmers reduce their reliance on chemical weedkillers. (See video below.)

FarmWise says that farmers today are facing the need to use fewer chemical inputs to match current consumer expectations and preserve the integrity of our soil.  [Read more…] about FarmWise launches autonomous weeding robot

Farming lands in the robotic age while humanoid robot makers adopt 3D technology

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In the latest issue of Sensor Readings magazine, we feature the latest and most advanced technologies for what’s being called “precision agriculture”. 

Farming is said to have started around 15,000 years ago and provided the foundation on which human civilizations were built.

As recently as 50 to 100 years ago, most modern nation-states were agrarian, generating the majority of their gross domestic product from the agricultural sector.  [Read more…] about Farming lands in the robotic age while humanoid robot makers adopt 3D technology

Alien farming technology: A glimpse into the future of automated agriculture

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Farming, as a human activity, is thought to be the basis for civilisations and societies dating back 15,000 years, possibly even further back if you believe the ancient alien astronaut theory.

In fact, ancient alien astronauts from the Anunnaki race are thought to have introduced Earthlings to farming in the first place, and gifted humans the plough. But that’s a whole other story.

Whatever its age, farming is still a globally widespread activity today. Indeed, until around 50 years ago, the vast majority of countries around the world were agrarian, meaning their economies and societies were reliant on the income generated by the agricultural sector – not just the food produced by it.

Even today, the largest economy in the world – the US – is also the world’s largest exporter of food.  [Read more…] about Alien farming technology: A glimpse into the future of automated agriculture

Bosch and Bayer working on precision agriculture systems

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Industrial giant Bosch is teaming up with Bayer, one of the world’s largest biotech companies, to develop precision agriculture systems which they say could help improve harvests by 50 per cent. 

Precision agriculture is a term that refers to the increasing use of technologies such as drones, robots, computers and data analytics in farming. These technologies essentially help farmers micro-manage their farms. Other terms used include smart agriculture and even Agriculture 4.0, but they refer to the same thing.

The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that farmers around the world will need to increase yields – the volume of crops they harvests – by 50 per cent by 2050 in order to feed the increasing global population.  [Read more…] about Bosch and Bayer working on precision agriculture systems

Deepfield Robotics to showcase precision agriculture technology at Agrilevante

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Deepfield Robotics is preparing to showcase its robotics and automation technologies for the agriculture market at the Agrilevante event, in Italy.  

The company is a startup established by industrial giant Bosch, and has a variety of solutions for the burgeoning precision agriculture market.  [Read more…] about Deepfield Robotics to showcase precision agriculture technology at Agrilevante

University of Illinois presents its TerraSentia farming robot to investors

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Scientists at the University of Illinois, in the US, have presented agricultural robot technology which they say can save significant amounts of time and money in farm labour costs. 

The TerraSentia mobile robot for precision agriculture is being marketed by a startup company called EarthSense, presumably a spin-out from the university.

Developed with support from the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy, the TerraSentia costs $5,000.  [Read more…] about University of Illinois presents its TerraSentia farming robot to investors

John Deere to buy lettuce farming robot maker Blue River Technology

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John Deere, the farming machinery giant, has reached a deal to buy lettuce farming robot maker Blue River Technology for $305 million. 

Blue River also provides a range of other technology solutions – such as a weed killing machine, drone sensing and phenotyping solutions – to the precision agriculture sector, principally using machine learning.

The lettuce farming robot is called LettuceBot, and is one of the company’s newer products.

John May, president, agricultural solutions, and chief information officer at Deere, says: “We welcome the opportunity to work with a Blue River Technology team that is highly skilled and intensely dedicated to rapidly advancing the implementation of machine learning in agriculture.  [Read more…] about John Deere to buy lettuce farming robot maker Blue River Technology