Image of the Day: Farmers Get a Robotic Helping Hand

Researchers at the University of Warwick in England are developing a suite of robots and automated systems that could transform farming and horticulture in the coming decade.

Among the projects under development is a robotic mushroom picker that uses a camera to spot and select mushrooms of certain sizes more accurately than humans. Once the mushrooms are selected, they are picked up by a suction cup that is attached to a robotic arm. The robots currently pick mushrooms at just over half the speed of humans, but they can work 24 hours a day without any need for breaks.

The group is also working on an inflatable conveyer belt that can be used in open fields or covered growing areas, as well as a robotic grass cutter that can take over for farmers and golf course owners who don't feel like mowing large swaths of land.  

--Ker Than

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Credit:  University of Warwick