A robot weeder is just one of the technological innovations that will transform farming in the 21st century, according to a researcher from the UK's Silsoe Research Institute. The weeder, using video cameras and computer vision, is able to decide which plants live and which die.
The "intelligent hoe", designed by Prof John Marchant, is already being built for commercial sale. It uses computer vision technology to control a mechanical weed-killing machine. The machine can "see" the crop rows and its cutting tines can be shifted left or right automatically if they get too close to the crop, he says.
Farming in the coming years will be changed by the "intelligent systems" that will automate many functions down on the farm. There are two factors pushing advanced technology into the farmyard, Prof Marchant says.
One is the comparatively low cost of sensors, the electronics that can control visual input and related devices. These are being developed for the consumer electronics market.
The other factor is "intelligent control" devices, cheap computers and microchips. These are already finding new homes in the washing machine, vacuum cleaner and other domestic appliances - so why not on the farm?
Underlying these developments are pressures for more efficient, and therefore cheaper, farming methods and also for greater care for the environment and animal welfare, Prof Marchant says.
He describes a number of new devices that are being considered, are under development or have reached the market. Fully automated robotic milking machines are already being sold, he says. These can attach themselves to cows and then send animals on their way when the milking is done.
Another system under development is the electronic ear that can detect problems in farm machinery long before the machines get to the point of breaking down. These might also be used to make an activity more efficient, as in controlling a large baling machine.
Another project under study is a device that can automatically analyse "cow breath". It will chemically sample breath emissions and warn if diseases or other conditions threaten an animal's health.
The Silsoe team is also developing an automatic device for measuring the condition of pigs. If an animal is not thriving, the system will be able to warn the farmer.
Such devices are necessary, Prof Marchant says, because farmers no longer have the time to examine their animals as frequently as in the past.
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