RssInstagramTumblrPinterestYouTubeGoogle+TwitterFacebook
SERIOUS WONDER
SERIOUS WONDER
THE FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY
  • FUTURISTIC NOW
  • TECH
    • NEUROTECH
    • SCIENCE
    • SPACE
  • FUTURE TRENDS
    • FUTURISTIC DESIGN
    • THE FUTURE THIS WEEK
  • ROBOTS
  • TECHNO-PHILOSOPHY
    • TRANSHUMANISM
    • LONGEVITY
    • INFINITE ENIGMA
  • Sci-fi
    • FUTURE-ART
MENU CLOSE back  

Robotic-Farming Grows With the Ladybird

By B.J. Murphy

Robots are going to steal your job, but that’s okay, because they’ll be liberating us away from boring, strenuous and monotonous labor and give us far more time in doing what we truly want to do. Agriculture will not be an exception, and is in fact moving fast in becoming a model of what the entire workforce will eventually transform into. In today’s age, we’ll be witnessing the coupling of the agricultural revolution with the industrial revolution – robotic farming.

From drones to autonomous tractors, robotic farming is here to stay and (dare I say it?) grow! Researchers of the Australian Centre for Field Robotics, located at the University of Sydney, has recently introduced the latest family member in the field of farm ‘bots known as the Ladybird – an autonomous data collecting and analyzing vehicle.


Ladybird 1
Serious Wonder was able to briefly speak with Professor Salah Sukkarieh, the lead researcher in project Ladybird, to which he stated:

“Ladybird is a completely new approach to agriculture robotics. The focus is not simply to automate tasks such as spraying, weeding and harvesting, but to also provide a system that can provide continuous information about the state of the farm such as the health of crops and soil and appropriate timing for other crop activities such as when and what to harvest.” – Prof. Salah Sukkarieh

Ladybird 2
The Ladybird is an omnidirectional, self-driving vehicle with three goals in mind: collect data, analyze data, and harvest. The current model of the Ladybird primarily only collects and analyzes data, from crop yields, health, pest infestation, etc. The vehicle is able to accomplish this with its laser-guided sensors as it traverses the entire field, one row at a time. To maintain energy, the vehicle’s top layer is surrounded by photovoltaic panels.

With the Ladybird’s ability to scan entire fields at a micrometer resolution, the 3D modeled maps allows the detection and segregation of selected crops from weeds, alongside the crop’s health. As a result, the farmer is able to use the most efficient amount of data available without having to personally inspect the entire field, which could take several hours, if not days depending on the size of the field.

As Professor Sukkarieh notes, soon we’ll begin witnessing a fully integrated, interconnected relationship between all of the farm ‘bots and farmer. 

“The robot will have advance levels of intelligence allowing it to communicate to the wider farm system and hence support optimal operations. In a few years we will see robot-to-robot, robot-to-tractor, and robot-to-grower communication happening at advance levels and ultimately complete automation and optimisation of farm operations.” – Prof. Salah Sukkarieh

Ladybird header

FUTURE IMPLICATIONS

The Ladybird is an amazing piece of machinery, but it still has much more room to improve. And improve it will! Agriculture has a strong history of being front and center in revolutionary societal change, starting with the agricultural revolution. Today we’re witnessing agriculture’s second revolution with the help of advanced robotics.

Soon no humans will need to be present for, or even within operations of, our crop production, as it’ll quickly be fully controlled by smart autonomous robots and A.I. systems. Neo-Luddites today are already uptight about humans genetically modifying our crops. Imagine how they’ll react when robots take control of the modifying instead?!

Photo Credit: Australian Centre for Field Robotics

August 6, 2014By B.J. Murphy

About the author

B.J. Murphy is the Editor and Social Media Manager of Serious Wonder. He is a futurist, philosopher, activist, author and poet. B.J. is an Affiliate Scholar for the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET) and an Ambassador for the robotics company Humai.

Naked Technology: Your Thoughts and Feelings ExposedMerge With the Machines, Wear An Exoskeleton Suit!

You may also like

The Next Time You See a Worm, Don’t Step On It…It Might Just Be a Robot
June 7, 2017
Why Replace Your Organic Limbs When You Can Have Extra Robotic Limbs Instead?
June 1, 2017
Robot Lands (Simulated) Boeing 737 with One Hand
May 28, 2017
China Wants in on the Giant Fighting Robot Action
May 5, 2017
Holy Shit, the Fluidity in this Avatar Animatronic is Amazing!
April 30, 2017
Giant Robot Duel is a Go, Fight Begins August
April 5, 2017
Subscribe to our Newsletter

LATEST ARTICLES

The Second Amendment and Future of 3D Printing

Second Amendment 2

“Third Thumb” Augmentation Changes the Way we Think of Prosthetics

third thumb dani clode

Smart Drones Find their Way without Human Aid or GPS

drones

AIM: The Future of Healthcare is Driverless, Augmented, and Intelligent

aim 2

Ectogenesis: Crib Designed to Grow Babies Outside the Womb

ectogenesis

Watch Japanese Sumo Robots Break the Internet (and Each Other)

sumo robots

The Future of Retail Will Be Self-Driving

self-driving retail

Memori: Immortalizing Your Thoughts and Memories

memori

Just One CityTree Has the Environmental Benefits of a Forest

citytree

Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Real Estate

future of real estate

AI Learns How to Create Human Faces From Scratch

ai face 1

The Next Time You See a Worm, Don’t Step On It…It Might Just Be a Robot

robo worm

Why Replace Your Organic Limbs When You Can Have Extra Robotic Limbs Instead?

extra robotic limbs

SpaceX Rival Successfully Launches 3D-Printed Rocket Into Near-Space

3D-printed rocket

Robot Lands (Simulated) Boeing 737 with One Hand

robot landing

Israeli AI Company Cortica Aims to Give Machines Human-Vision

cortica

Google’s AlphaGo AI Defeats Ke Jie in First of Three Rounds of Go

alphago ai

Jacque Fresco (1916-2017): A Superman for the Future of Humanity

jacque fresco 2

Search and Rescue Drone Software That’ll Save Lives

dronesar software 2

The World’s First Drone Jump is Intense

world's first drone jump

You’ll Never Take Notes in Class the Same Way Again

titan notes

China Wants in on the Giant Fighting Robot Action

china fighting robot

Holy Shit, the Fluidity in this Avatar Animatronic is Amazing!

animatronic avatar

Video of Elon Musk’s Boring Company Presents Future of Transportation

boring

ACCESS: An Emergency River-Crossing Platform

access
TAGS
3D Printing A.I. advanced technology Architecture Artificial Intelligence augmented reality automation Brain Consciousness darpa Design Drones Elon-Musk future future tech Future Technology FUTURE TRENDS futurism Futuristic futuristic architecture Futuristic Design Futuristic technologies futuristic technology google Gray Scott Longevity Mars NASA philosophy Robot Robotics robots Sci-fi Science Science Fiction Space space colonization Space exploration Star Trek Techno-Philosophy Technology the future this week Transhuman Transhumanism Virtual Reality


Advertise Here

  • Home
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Store
  • Podcast
  • Video
  • Contact
  • FUTURISTIC NOW
  • FAQ
  • PRIVACY
  • CONTRIBUTORS
  • TERMS OF USE
  • Login
  • FUTURISTIC NOW
Contact

231 10th Ave #5A
NEW YORK , NEW YORK 10011
1.646.233.3535
contact@seriouswonder.com

Advertise With Us

Visit our ADVERTISING PAGE to learn how you can become part of our growing community.

SERIOUS WONDER
© 2015 | www.seriouswonder.com
  • Home
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Store
  • Podcast
  • Video
  • Contact
  • FUTURISTIC NOW
Footer Navigation Col 1
×

SERIOUS WONDER NEWSLETTER 

Enter your name and email below to receive our weekly newsletter.