But what I really need is a droid that understands the binary language of moisture evaporators.
Posted on 06/23/2017 8:05:53 AM PDT by Rebelbase
Researchers at Harper Adams University in Shropshire are trying to sow, look after and then harvest a field of barley using only robots and autonomous vehicles. No humans are allowed into the pilot-plot at all.
We covered the project when it started and again here. They call it "Hands Free Hectare" and in the office we call it "Robocrop". Long story short the team are actually doing pretty well with a field of barley shoots that looks healthy if a bit patchy here and there.
In fact, they're doing so well with their combination of off-the-shelf tech and nifty engineering skills that I began to wonder if building farming robots wasn't actually pretty easy?
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
But what I really need is a droid that understands the binary language of moisture evaporators.
That British “barley” crop sure looks peculiar. Must be the British variant.
How many people does it take to service and operate the robotic farm equipment?
Will this “barley” be knee high by the fourth of July?
I sort of expect a part of the future population to be put on land, with robots and whatnot and then be told: “You have 3 acres. This is your land. You can support yourself. There is no real danger of starvation. Stay here and live. If you wander off the land and bother people, you may be shot as a vagrant.”
It might be a combination of farming community and open air prison for the masses.
I fear that the alternative will be warehousing people in large urban structures and just sending them a check every month (so to speak). We seem to be reaching the point where we no longer need (or expect) a great many people to contribute to society. So what do we do? Little farming robots may be part of the answer.
Barley? Hardly.
The editor and journalist better stick to covering the royals and leave the agricultural scene alone.
The article also refers to Soil Hall, where they're raising maize (writer's description, not mine). That's what the pics are from.
Sometimes I don’t read past the excerpt...or even the first sentence. Thanks for clarifying.
“Soil Hall” — is that second choice for those who can’t get into Royal Albert Hall?
As the former president would put it, this isn’t something to get all weed-weed up about
This sort of technology would be far advanced but for cheap exploited farm labor. Whether that is good or bad, depends on your point of view. I suppose if conservatives are for robotic field hands, dims will be holier than thou while pushing for more exploration of actual human beings.
One more reason to keep Mexican illegals OUT of our country... we can pick our own damn crops.
Before long they’ll have robot made crop circles.
Side note. Something must have changed, because the corn is usually shoulder high by 4th of July.
Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall.
In England, it’s “Shoulder High by the Late Summer Bank Holiday.”
#1 It is kinda short for a Robodroid
My wife’s corn was 8’+ a month ago.
Different varieties. Most “standardized” corn varieties are shorter than a lot of the older types. That makes them less vulnerable to wind damage, and means the tractors don’t have to be 2 stories tall to get over them.
Some of the older varieties reach 15 feet easily. I’ve even seen 21’. Although there are others that are shorter. I grow 2 different types, both unruly enough to range from 8 inches tall, to 7 feet.
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