Artificial intelligence offers great opportunities. This is especially true in agricultural technology. But what hardware is needed to take a step into the future?
Every year, three million tonnes of pesticides are sprayed on agricultural land around the world. Only a fraction of these chemicals are actually needed. It is time to act! Many suppliers of sprayers, tractors and agricultural robots have recognised this. They are tackling the problem in a variety of ways. For example, sprayers are fitted with cameras and sensors. These take pictures of the ground and detect weeds. Pesticides are then applied only where necessary. Another approach works in a similar way, without using pesticides at all. Instead, agricultural robots pull out the weeds that are detected. Both methods help reduce pesticide use and increase yields.
This example shows that machines that see and understand represent a real opportunity - for example, when it comes to feeding the world's population. But how do you get machines to recognise weeds?
