Agri-bots to meet challenges in agriculture

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Agri-bots to meet challenges in agriculture

Robots in agriculture will not only reduce labour costs in agriculture but also increase efficiency and productivity to meet increasing demand of food and bio energy. Agri-bots market to touch $11.1 billion in 2020 and explode to $30.8 billion in 2025

Shakti Sharan Singh

With the global population expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, agricultural production must double if it is to meet the increasing demands for food and bio-energy. Given limited land, water and labour resources, it is estimated that the efficiency of agricultural productivity must increase by 25 per cent to meet that goal, while limiting the growing pressure that agriculture puts on the environment. To meet the increasing demand for food and bio energy, robotics and automation is expected to play significant role in agriculture to usher transformation in coming years.

Last two decades have shown that robots have begun playing a vital role in increasing the efficiency as well as reducing the overall total cost of agriculture production with the availability and use of GPS- and vision-based self-guided tractors and harvesters. More recently, farmers have started to experiment with autonomous systems that automate or augment operations such as pruning, thinning, and harvesting as well as mowing, spraying, and weed removal. In the fruit tree industry, for example, workers riding robotic platforms have shown to be twice as efficient as workers using ladders. Advances in sensors and control systems allow for optimal resource and integrated pest and disease management. This is just the beginning of what will be a revolution in the way that food is grown, tended and harvested. In future the numbers of robots in different agricultural fields will be increased. Scientists from around the world are also designing midget robots to scout battlefields, search for victims trapped in rubble and record images in agriculture fields.

The world’s smallest micro robot was placed in the geniuses’ book of world record and consists of propeller by which it can fly to heights. These features include the ability to zero-in and land precisely on a potato chip and then flap their wings to buzz of with blazing speed. It is also expected that it can be very soon used in agriculture for the control of weeds and insects. Drone is a perfect tool to collect information to make better decisions, and we are just scratching the surface of what it can do for farmers. Drone’s can be used to aerially surveying the farm. They can give a better analysis of weed and crop growth. They can also used for sprinkling water and spraying pesticides.

Artificial intelligence robotics is one of the new and innovative technologies that will help to overcome these challenges. An increasing number of agricultural robots are being developed and deployed that are capable of complex tasks. Accounting in robotics hardware, software as well as service expenditure, global agri-bots market is expected to reach $11.1 billion in 2020 and explode to $30.8 billion in 2025 as more and more farmbots will be used to increase productivity. Global Agricultural Robots Market 2016-2025 by Application (Field Farming, Indoor Farming, Livestock Management, Horticulture), Technology (UAVs, Driverless Tractors, Milking Robots and Others), and by Geography examines the global agricultural robots market through a comprehensive research and in-depth analysis of premium information sources with inputs derived from industry professionals across the value chain.

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