Verdant Robotics have created an AI robot that will help farmers to cut their pesticide use by a whopping 95%. These figures are certainly something to shout about, and may pave the way to revolutionizing the world of agricultural farming. However, these are not the only benefits that this incredible new farming robot has to offer.
The new AI farming robot, created by Verdant Robotics, uses fewer harmful chemicals when compared to traditional methods. This is not only a benefit for farmers, it is also a benefit for consumers too. Pesticides have been found to negatively effect the environment, wildlife and humans. For example, pesticides can contaminate surrounding water and soil, and even pose a threat to animals such as fish and birds, to name a few. If the AI robot helps to cut pesticide use by up to 95%, then it may help to counter such effects if scaled up. However, Verdant Robotics also armed their robot with more benefits.
RELATED: NASA Has Grown Plants Using Moon Soil
Not only do the company want to make farming more profitable for farmers, they also want to make it more sustainable and efficient. To achieve this, they've equipped their AI robot with some impressive technology, including their very own SprayBox™. This system allows farmers to treat an impressive 500,000 plants and 4.2 acres per hour.
In addition, it is equipped with a lighting and camera system that index's plants and makes a digital model of the farm. In theory, this can be used to help farmers make better decisions, and thus be more efficient. The robot is also incredibly efficient at weeding, quickly targeting weeds and blasting them with de-weeder or fertilizer at an incredible accuracy.
As well as robots, scientists from Cambridge University have also been looking at ways to make plant production more sustainable, including using circadian clock genes in plants. This would help plants to measure daily and seasonal rhythms.