Agriculture has long embraced automation, and it is now one of the world's most mechanised industries. Nonetheless, the significant drop in agricultural labour, along with an increasing population, means that additional technologies will be required to meet increasing demands.
The United Nations has stressed that agricultural output will need to double to meet the demands of a population expected to reach 10 billion by 2050. Without automating all aspects of the food supply chain, these targets will not be met.
Automated harvesting machinery can cover vast swaths of land in hours rather than the days it would take human labour, which has improved productivity since being implemented. Their durable nature ensures that they can function continuously for long periods of time without the need for human intervention. But what about post-harvest?
Large industrial machines capable of sorting durable produce, such as potatoes, lack the delicacy required to handle more fragile produce such as grapes and vine tomatoes. This is where collaborative robots like Avarai come into play.
The compact size of collaborative robots, or cobots, provides flexibility for activities that demand dexterity, an area where people had outperform robots.
Because of Avarai's modular design, it can be quickly incorporated into current production lines without the major adjustments that large industrial machines often need, whilst also operating alongside people, making it perfect for facilities with limited floor space.
Automation adoption needn't be drastic, but they should fit the task at hand and boost productivity if they are to succeed.
In response to:
https://www.sciencefocus.com/future-technology/ai-robot-farming-machines/
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