AUTOMATION AND ROBOTICS ONLINE RESOURCES Less is more: precision farming technologies Agriculture 4.0 is the evolution of the precision farming concept. It refers to all the tools and strategies that use advanced technologies in an interconnected manner to improve and optimise production. In some highly developed countries, intelligent, machines take out of the farmer’s hands laborious tasks such as grass, spraying pesticides, seeding, pruning, planting, , harvesting and monitoring crops with sensors, satellites and cameras. Their primary role is to replace men in labour-intensive, repetitive, physically demanding tasks and, more recently, in various other specialised , like delicate handling or selective harvesting. The goal is to teach computers to see like humans, creating a robotic “brain” that can then learn from its mistakes and improve as it works, incorporating human vision and computer learning. Agriculture 4.0 unmanned mowing picking 1 infrared chores MORE The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has an experimental greenhouse managed entirely by small robots. Cherry tomatoes are grown on raised platforms where sensors monitor plant conditions, carrying water when necessary, identifying ripe tomatoes and picking them with a mechanical arm. 1 Applications are able to operate independently, making farming safer, reducing the need for labour and increasing farm efficiency and yields. Robots are always available at the right times in the harvesting cycle, helping to control labour costs and reducing dependence on seasonal labour. These devices can also be used in raising livestock for feeding, cleaning, milking or collecting eggs. For example, automatic milking machines have recently developed into robotic milking systems (RMS) which handle the whole milking process. Also, with computer control, plants can be monitored throughout their life and a database of information can be created, helping farmers to detect problems early and applications of fertilisers, pesticides, or herbicides to individual plants, minimising waste and maximising yield. Farm robots customise Features Robots have various shapes, according to the different kinds of fruit and vegetable to be harvested – some have giant mechanical arms, others are fully autonomous and can move through orchards, vineyards or even . Improvements in vision, sensing systems and computing power have made robots cleverer, safer and more skilful. paddy fields 2 MORE Outdoors, robots can prune vines or pick apples or oranges, while indoors, working in automated greenhouses, they can even identify what strawberries are the size and ripeness wanted by the supermarkets. 2