Humanoid robots capable of performing tasks such as harvesting, planting and pruning could soon work alongside farmers, according to experts. The technology, which can operate around the clock, has been described as the 'next stage' in agricultural innovation.
Robots with human-like capabilities
Professor Fernando Auat Cheein, a robotics specialist from Harper Adams University in Shropshire, said humanoid robots share 'similar capabilities' to humans and can be deployed to do the same work much quicker.
“A humanoid has the same degree of freedom, the same ability as the human body, so we can programme the robot not to solve one problem but to solve many of them,” he said.
Cheein, a professor of engineering, said human-shaped robots could carry out existing farming tasks such as harvesting, planting or pruning. Once perfected, programming could be replicated across 1,000 or more robots capable of working 24/7.
Coexistence with human farmers
Professor Cheein stressed that the aim is not to replace people but to have technology working alongside them to lighten their load. Ideally, humanoids would share the workspace or tasks with humans.
“The robot and ourselves in the same environment should co-exist in some sense and for that we need the robot to have social skills,” he said. “So we can deploy the humanoid to do the work that we can do.”
One farmer humorously remarked: “I wouldn’t mind having a robot to get up at 4am to plough the top field. If I can train it to lean on a gate, chew straw and shout ‘get off my land’ then happy days.”
