Agricultural Robots: Do we really need them?

Robotics and Artificial Intelligence 

Artificial intelligence and big data are reshaping traditional businesses. Robotics and artificial intelligence are two areas that are linked but not the same. It is the design of robots to do tasks autonomously whereas AI is how systems mimic the human mind to make judgments and learn. While robotics can have an AI component (vice versa), both can and generally do exist independently.

AI simplifies big data analytics by automating and improving data preparation, data visualization, predictive modelling and other complicated analytical operations that would otherwise be time-consuming and labor-intensive. If you have no knowledge about bigdata, it is okay. Big data is the gasoline that powers AI. Large volumes of different data allow machine learning systems to perform what they were supposed to do: learn and master a skill. The more data the AI has access to, the more it can learn and enhance its pattern detection capabilities. 

After years of suspense and elevated hopes, robots has finally began to have an impact on agriculture. The robots market, on its own, has been rising for some time now, with an expected value of USD 23.7 billion in 2020. This is predicted to reach a startling USD 74 billion by 2026, with agricultural robots accounting for a sizable amount of this rise. 

The approach of using new technologies into farming is driving rural revitalization in China. Digital technology will undoubtedly play a larger part in the country's efforts to revitalise rural areas and modernise agriculture. The digitalisation of rural industries is critical to rural development and is a new engine of a sustainable rural economy. 

A strategy that was unveiled in January of last year with the intention of enhancing smart agriculture and supporting rural vitalization in the years before 2025 is what led to push toward digital agriculture. The proposal, which was jointly presented by China's Cyberspace Administration and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, suggested developing a basic data infrastructure for rural regions to enable targeted administration and services. The strategy focused on the development of smart agriculture based on the internet of things, sensors, positioning systems, and robotics as well as research into and use of intelligent agricultural technology. For instance, Iron Ox combines artificial intelligence and robots to try and make sure that each plant receives the ideal amount of sunlight, water, and nutrients needed to guarantee that it flourishes to its maximum potential. Less water is wasted and farms create less trash thanks to the robotics and AI analysis of each plant. The idea is that the AI will keep picking up new skills from the data, increasing production for further harvests. Another illustration of a robot used in agriculture is the Agrobot E-series, which has 24 robotic arms and can harvest strawberries while also determining the freshness of each fruit with the help of AI.

Do we really need them? well according to a research by Oxford Economics, the robotics revolution is growing quickly as quick-moving technology advancements in automation, engineering, energy storage, artificial intelligence, and machine learning merge. The extensive effects will change robot capabilities and their capacity to take over tasks that were previously performed by humans. Millions of jobs will be destroyed, and many sectors' current business structures will be severely impacted. By 2030, robots are expected to displace up to 20 million manufacturing jobs, according to researcher estimates.