Machine Vision is Revolutionizing the Future of Farming

For thousands of years, agriculture has been one of humanity’s most important industries. In ancient times, the agricultural revolution was the key to the development of large-scale cities and the complex communication systems and cultures that have so enriched human lives.

In 2005, National Geographic estimated that about 50% of Earth’s surface was being used for agriculture. Ten years later, in 2015, Earth’s population had added more than 700,000,000 individuals – a total of 7.2 billion people worldwide.

It comes as no surprise that additional population demands additional food. Yet, the increasing prevalence of traditional agriculture in the world’s remaining arable land has also created some significant environmental challenges.

Through new technology, it’s now possible to reduce ecological strain while increasing the intensity of cultivation. Ultimately, this means an acre of land can produce more food.

Advanced Machine Vision Systems are the Key to Robo-Farming

Machine vision is making robots more versatile than ever. It is the key to robotic systems that perform effectively in agricultural environments, which often require careful and controlled movements that are routine, but not identical.

Some examples include:

John Deere AutoTrac Tractors

The John Deere AutoTrac system is a revolutionary step forward in precision planting. Through enhanced GPS, it is capable of planting lines of crops with a minimum distance of about three centimeters between each line. Overlap between tilling, planting, and fertilizing can be minimized, thus reducing chemical usage and operator fatigue.

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Cainthus Smart Herding

Like humans, livestock animals such as cows, sheep, and even pigs have identifiable facial features robotic systems can be trained to recognize through machine vision. Through near-instant recognition of individual animals, Cainthus systems facilitate the monitoring of large herds while minimizing the need for direct human interaction.

High-Throughput Plant Phenotyping (HTPP)

Although robots can now harvest crops and perform many other manual tasks, they can also help push agriculture in new, experimental directions. Using a variety of high-tech sensors, including machine vision cameras, robots can precisely measure plant characteristics. This allows them to develop databases crucial to making genetic improvements in crops.

Agricultural Drones

While systems like HTPP provide micro-level information about individual plants, agricultural drones are the “eye in the sky” that allows farmers to evaluate the status of whole crops. Issues like pests, disease, the effects of weather, and more can be analyzed quickly through a combination of low- and high-flying footage aided by precision machine vision sensors.

Machine vision is on the threshold of becoming sophisticated enough to introduce totally autonomous robots into many new aspects of agriculture. As AI, machine vision, and motion control all continue to advance, fully autonomous farms may be realized. This could be a pivotal step in providing for an ever-growing population.