Doddakurugodu is a small village in Chikkaballapur district in Karnataka. The village has a majority of farmers growing paddy, Finger Millet (Ragi) and maize. Venkataramappa is one such retired farmer who has lived all his life in the same village and cultivated ragi. While having a chat with him, he spoke about the physical effort that went into land ploughing when he used to be active in agriculture back then in his day. When he was told that tractors now don’t even need a human to be present inside them and the robots can do all the tasks of farming, he laughs and asks if we were messing around with him. The reality of today which was a yesteryear dream shows how rapidly modern technology is bringing in the revolution in farming.
Agri-tech farm machinery
If Agriculture was a locomotive, then farm machinery would be its wheels. The operations of farming for which machines are used are numerous. The usage of machinery is all over the farm chain starting from handling residues of previous crops to tillage of the soil, distribution and fertiliser application, seeding, harvesting, storing and transporting the yield.
Farm machinery is also a lifesaver of the farm when it comes to pest control and erosion control. What started from a pickle and a shovel, today has transformed into agricultural bots and drone monitoring systems, driverless tractors, automated sprinklers and self harvesting machines.
Not just crops, farm machinery is also a major part of livestock management. The shepherd can actually relax under a shaded tree now, thanks to tag monitored livestock, automated feeding, bedding and guided grazing.
AI in farm machinery
AI in farming has almost eliminated the challenges of traditional farming, and empowered the farmer to be future-ready. Through the data AI collects and analyses, it forms a knowledge repository for the farmers to rely on.
The agriculture industry strongly and openly embraces AI into their practice to change the overall outcome. The application of Artificial Intelligence in farm machinery is diverse.
Let us specifically look at two such applications and the changes they bring through their implementation.
1. Agricultural BOTS – automated farming
Agricultural bots are specifically designed robots to implement automation in agriculture. In simple terms, they are efficient labourers who work without sweating too much (or any sweat, actually). They are a blend of mechanics and software implementation that eliminates the need of manpower in the area of implementation.
The mechanical design of a fully functioning agri-bot typically consists of an end effector, manipulator and a gripper. The end effector is customised based on the requirements of the farm. The gripper is more of a mechanical support system to the application. The gripper’s design is based on the crop that is being harvested. The manipulator is designed based on the economic efficiency, required tasks and the motion requirements of the robot. Agriculture bots have been applied in every step of farming in recent times. From harvesting, weeding, potting, picking and spraying, the agri-bots have made life a little more easier for the farmers.
2. Self-driving combines
Self-driving combines are automated tractors that can function autonomously and most commonly known as ‘Driverless Tractors’. They deliver a high tractive effort without the presence of a human inside the tractor. They are programmed to be self observant, decide speed, and avoid obstacles such as people, animals, or objects in the field while performing their task.
Some of the driverless tractors work on supervised autonomy. They are automated tractors but with a supervisor and they use Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) technology for communication and control. AI implementation into these self driving combines ensure safety in applications and to ensure they learn constantly through self observational data they collect. This reduces accidents related to unmanned vehicles and increases productivity through technological intervention.
Now, imagine empowering these autonomous vehicles with the power of artificial intelligence. AI-based algorithms would make them self evolving, self learning and self developing in terms of efficient decision making. The farm management solutions, when combined with AI powered automation will result in wonders for farmers.
While AI-based automation will ensure higher levels of productivity and create a self evolving system, the farm management solution will provide these systems with accurate data to make decisions on and monitor the entire process. Additionally, the farm management system will also act as a knowledge repository for the farmers and the actuators as well. An entire AI-based sustainable agritech ecosystem can be created and the results on the farmland would be outstanding to say in the least.
Harnessing AI technology into farm machinery is what CropIn has been consistently working on. CropIn has leveraged its smart solutions to leading farm machinery enterprise giants to provide farmers digital tools and agricultural insights along with the farm machineries. This will not only boost their productivity, but also educate them on better agricultural practices and provide quick aid and advisories on taking timely actions against unforeseen situations.
AgTech has ensured the future of agriculture looks bright and shiny with its ever evolving systems and diverse applications. Artificial intelligence in farm machinery will be the icing on the cake that is AgTech – the real plough-twist that is yet to come!
Source: https://www.cropin.com
