Are Farmbots the Future of Agriculture? Lots of people think that farming has gotten too industrialized. But there are others who believe it’s not nearly industrialized enough—such as the Iowa inventor who envisions armies of robots growing our food in the future.
“Dourhout, who based his Prospero design in part on the swarming behaviors of insects, birds and fish, believes that robotic farming will help ramp up food production for a heavily populated planet. He “hopes the next step will be to create more advanced robots that can weed, fertilize and harvest the crop,” writes Eric Niller at Discovery News.
This!
Totally dig this, and I’ve spoken about this and similar ideas before, so it’s nice to see that people are working on it. That said, I felt the tone of the video was a bit over-dramatic and kinda terrifying. It needn’t be. For non-Luddites, like myself, I see this as a natural extension of our technology. It’ll allow us to grow more, more efficiently, and not require back-breaking labor. Seems good. I do have some concern about the food industry, though. That said, I’m also looking forward to homes that include indoor greenhouses as a normal accessory (e.g. this and this), just like a microwave or refrigerator. In other words, technology isn’t good or bad. It’s a tool. It can have either, or both, effects. It can help monopolies - like the food empires - or it can democratize food production and empower individuals. But it’s up to us to be aware and take the steps we’d like to see.
