<
https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-11-09/futuristic-farm-robots-killing-weeds-the-old-fashioned-way/103054634>
'They may be on the cutting edge of technology, but robots rolling out across
Australian farms are now incorporating tactics from the past to kill weeds.
Hand-weeding and mechanical cultivation fell out of favour following the
invention of herbicides in the 1940s.
But robots, imported to Australia from manufacturers in countries such as
Denmark and the United States, are reviving these weed-control methods to slash
chemical use.
Guided by GPS and cameras, the machines use knives and wires to take out pest
plants by "hand" instead of spraying.
The inventions are helping farmers such as fourth-generation Queensland
vegetable grower Troy Qualischefski reduce input costs, and improve crop and
farm health.
The director, owner and manager of Qualipac, which grows and packages produce
at several Queensland locations including Gatton and Inglewood, bought a
FarmDroid FD20 from Denmark in July and a Stout Smart Cultivator from the US in
October.
Mr Qualischefski, who has begun trialling the robots, said he wanted to reduce
herbicide use in the stage before the crop emerged.'
Via
Future Crunch:
<
https://futurecrunch.com/good-news-tb-emissions-china-deforestation-colombia/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
