The Droids Farmers Are Looking For

“Improving nursery efficiency is part of Harvest Automation’s plans for expanding the robots’ capabilities, said Grinnell. The robots will make it possible for nursery operators to gather data about individual plants. This is valuable information that hasn’t been cost-effective for human workers to gather, he said. “We’ll provide data about the production of the plants that will help them reduce their use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers,” he said. “It will also help them increase the quality of the product they’re selling.” Further down the road, Harvest Automation’s robot could also find work in warehousing, construction, mining and manufacturing, said Grinnell. The robot could be adapted to handle different materials, and its size, cost and compatibility with human workers could open up a lot of possibilities, he said. In the meantime, don’t be surprised if the next time you drive by a nursery the shrubs appear to be moving by themselves. It’s just the march of progress.” - Eric Smalley

December 2nd, 2011