NETHERLANDS: In agriculture Dutch engineers focus on small and smart for future yields

Record ID: 401802

  • Title: NETHERLANDS: In agriculture Dutch engineers focus on small and smart for future yields
  • Date: 4th August 2009
  • Summary: WAGENINGEN, THE NETHERLANDS (JULY 7, 2009) (REUTERS) STATE-OF-THE-ART FIELD ROBOT ON THE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS VARIOUS OF ROBOT MOVING (SOUNDBITE) (English), ELDERT VAN HENTEN, AGRICULTURE PROFESSOR, SAYING: "We can reduce the amount of chemicals we use by the very precise application and by doing so, we will also reduce emissions and residuals of chemicals on food." SMAL
  • Embargoed: 19th August 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Netherlands
  • Country: Netherlands
  • Topics: Science / Technology
  • Reuters ID: LVA43VRHTHRYMK33KOM526T2X8KD
  • Story Text: Small is beautiful is the new philosophy of agriculturists who believe that swarms of small flying robots can cultivate our crops more efficiently and be safer for the environment than the traditional methods.
    In the future, it could be swarms of robots that we see on the land cultivating our crops. For agricultural professors in the Dutch university of Wageningen that means cleaner, safer food on our tables and in our bodies.
    Tractors and other large and motorised farm machines are a common site today. Wageningen's Professor Eldert thinks small machinery and robots are more efficient.
    Students and engineers decided to put theory into practice on Tuesday (July 7) at the Field Robot Event on the university campus.
    "We can reduce the amount of chemicals we use by the very precise application and by doing so, we will also reduce emissions and residuals of chemicals on food," said Van Henten.
    They tested small driveable machines averaging between 50 by 80 centimetres in width and no more than 40 centimetres in height and were equipped with cameras, sonar and infrared or GPS to steer them in the right direction.
    The robots cost between 2,000 to over 10,000 euros to make.
    They recognise plants and distinguish between good ones and bad ones and are designed to direct a detergent spray on the weed with such high precision that they avoid touching the crop itself.
    But the Field Robot Event was not just a practice run. It was a competition to determine which tiny machine was best at navigation and weed detection.
    The snag is that it could take up to 10 or 20 years before this minute technology of the future makes it into our fields.
    "What we see is that currently tractors are already using auto-steering and GPS so in a way we are supporting human labour with technology. The next step might be that the farmer is supervising one or two additional tractors, still having supervision and then further future might be that robots are truly autonomous on the field," Van Henten said to Reuters.
    So one day, like ants have done for thousands of years, the worker-robots could be working the land invisibly for us, intelligently tilling and toiling day and night with precision pesticide sprays, without the help of a human hand.
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