"Aussie company believes "Swarmbots" are future of farming"
“If we’re going to lift productivity we must get farmers out of the tractor cab and back down at ground level to focus on individual plant management. Let the machinery work itself.”
The SwarmFarm business at Emerald has been a driving force in developing box trailer-sized robotic platforms to work in paddocks around the clock without needing a farmer nearby.
While current generation of “Swarmbots” have been initially built with weed spraying capabilities, Mr Crook said the technology would soon be adapted for tillage, precision planting and mowing.
Mr Crook said Swambots did not need to operate at 20 kilometres an hour like the big rigs because farmers would use several working at about eight km/hour to do the same job – and the machines could work all night if necessary.
The current custom-built generation of Swarmbot platforms cost about $150,000 to make and include weed seeking gear worth $40,000, but SwarmFarm wants to get a commercial price for its autonomous units down to a cost equivalent to its competition.
source: goodfruitandvegetables.com.au
