Exploring the Different Technologies Employed in Automated Farming

These days, many agriculture technology businesses are focusing on robotics innovation to create autonomous harvesters, tractors, automatic watering and seeding robots, and drone operations. Despite the novelty of these technologies, a growing number of conventional agriculture enterprises are incorporating farm automation into their operations.

Fremont, CA: The emergence of agriculture was a pivotal moment for humanity, signifying a significant shift in the relationship between humans and their surroundings. This transformation allowed humans to manipulate the environment in order to produce sufficient food to sustain a rapidly expanding population. From harnessing fire, cultivating crops, and preparing food to the advancements in autonomous technology, agriculture has paved the way for a multitude of innovations. Today, advancements in technology like computer vision software, robotics, and agricultural drones have revolutionized modern farming practices, enabling farmers to meet the increasing needs of a growing global population.

Automated Farming

Often linked to "smart farming," automated farming makes farms more productive by enhancing and automating agricultural processes and crop or livestock production cycles using various technological tools.

These days, many agriculture technology businesses are focusing on robotics innovation to create autonomous harvesters, tractors, automatic watering and seeding robots, and drone operations. Despite the novelty of these technologies, a growing number of conventional agriculture enterprises are incorporating farm automation into their operations.

What Technologies are Employed in Automated Farming?

Implementing intelligent solutions to handle tedious activities is the primary objective of farm technology companies. Among the most widely used technologies in farms are:

Harvest Automation:

Fruit and vegetable harvesting has never been an easy task for agricultural automation. Robots that harvest products must handle them carefully to prevent damage and bruises.

AgTech businesses are revolutionizing the agricultural sector. Examples include Agrobot, which created the first robot to harvest strawberries carefully, and Abundant Robotics, which created the first robotic apple picker available for commercial use.

Autonomous Tractors:

Producers can pre-program their autonomous tractors to be fully independent or operate them remotely. An automated tractor created by Rabbit Tractor helps raise yields, improve overall operational efficiency and lower labor costs for row farmers.

Another business, Bear Flag Robotics, is creating kits for tractor automation that retrofit current tractors with state-of-the-art driverless technology and apply control, making automation more affordable for farmers.

Seeding and Weeding:

Robots intended for weeding and planting can be trained to target particular crop areas. While weeding robotics uses computer vision to cut pesticide usage by 90 percent, seeding robots reduce labor and boring farming duties.

Blue River Technology is a startup that uses robotics and computer vision technology to spray herbicides precisely where and when needed, giving farmers a new approach to managing and preventing weeds that are resistant to herbicides.

Drones:

Drones for agriculture can apply pesticides, fertilizers, and other treatments from above while monitoring conditions remotely. Farmers can spot problems early on with imagery and infrared analysis, which may also rapidly identify problem regions.

With the help of autonomous drones, base stations, and analytics platforms, American Robotics is creating a completely autonomous "Robot-as-a-service" that will enable producers to obtain grower insights at resolutions, frequencies, and speeds never previously achievable.