A Robot program is a set of coded commands or instructions that tell a mechanical device and electronic system what tasks to perform and it is also used to perform autonomous tasks. Collaborative robots, also known as Cobots, are making drastic changes in the agriculture industry. The Cobots provide the advantage of optimized production, increased competitiveness, and the opportunity for free skilled labor for more appropriate tasks.
Robotic Technology
Many robotic advancements in agriculture use machine vision technology to avoid hazards, identify crops, and determine if they are ready to be harvested. Machine vision makes it possible for robots to perform tasks like weed picking, sorting, monitoring, harvesting and packing.
Another technology in agricultural robots is machine learning, which enables picking and quality control. Robots are able to learn as they go and develop the best methods for executing tasks.
Robots in the Field
Robots in the field are consistent workers, which have boosted the food and agriculture industry to the latest level of technologies in the following ways:
- Seeding: The automated drone seeder is mostly used in planting trees with a capability of planting 400,000 trees a day and with only a team of two operators. Autonomous seeders are able to seed more accurately than the traditional methods of broadcasting or spreading seeds.
- Spraying: Smart sprayers are able to identify specific plants and activate only the relevant application nozzles, ensuring that there is less waste and more efficient application across fields.
- Weeding: Using computer vision and a variety of mechanical tools, the robot plucks out individual weeds from the earth instead of using chemicals.
- Picking: Strawberry farming requires a lot of labor and time, since the fruit is very delicate. The robots are able to do the long and repetitive tasks of picking the strawberries as well as identify and measure the ripeness of the berries.
- Harvesting: These are robots designed to pick fruits using their unique arms that are guided by a 3D map to navigate and select only the ripe ones.
- Robotic Greenhouses: This kind of robot uses sensors as eyes to analyze and pick the plants, and there are also cloud-controlled robots that supervise the whole project.
- Agricultural Drones: This type of robot program is fitted with sensors that gather information quickly and efficiently, which helps farmers get a more refined resolution for quick evaluation.
Benefits of Cobots in Agriculture
During busy seasons, a Robot Program can operate around the clock, delivering non-stop productivity to your business. There are significant advantages of engaging Cobots to work alongside the human workforce in agriculture, and here are some of them:
- Reduced Cost of Farming: Some of the tasks performed in the farm, like preparing the land, sowing seeds, watering, pruning, and harvesting, can be very tedious and repetitive when performed by human workers. Collaborative robots make all the workforce in the farm quick and easy.
- Boost Efficiency in the Agricultural Process: Robot programs sort fruits for harvest and separate the defective products from the consumable ones in a more efficient way.
- Protection of Human Workers: Robots protect human employees from the potential harm of inhaling farm chemicals by taking up tasks like spraying herbicides and pesticides.
- Reduced Wastage of Farm Inputs: Robots are able to focus on the target better than human beings. For example, if the herbicide is meant to be sprayed on the roots only and not the leaves, the robot can deliver this accurately.
- There Is a Steady Work Flow: Agri-Robots operate in full capacity and accuracy because they do not get tired or fall sick. Therefore, they can work for long and continuous hours, hence raising the quality of the final outcome.
Conclusion
Robot programs will automate slow, repetitive, and dull tasks for farmers, allowing them to focus more on improving the overall production yields.
The agriculture industry is turning to robots to meet the rising market need and to remain globally competitive while achieving high-quality standards.
