When people think of farming today, they usually picture a tractor(拖拉机) rather than horses in the farmland. That's because tractors that relied on engines revolutionized farming in the late 1800 s. Now a new type of tractor can do the same in the 21st century.
Agriculture has been changing dramatically in the last few. decades. The push for innovation is fed by the need to produce larger amounts of food for a growing world population. Autonomous tractors may be the key to solving this challenge. They can be used to carry out labor-intensive (劳动密集型) farming while allowing farmers to do other work. A big plus is that it can increase crop output while reducing costs because the autonomous machines can work in all weather conditions without any rest.
Part of push for automation is a shortage of farm workers due to people's desire to have higher paying jobs with better work conditions. Farm owners are competing against companies like Amazon and restaurants that are raising wages to attract workers. "With labor shortages and the increase in the hourly wages that have to be paid in order to be competitive, all of a sudden automation seems like a more reasonable decision," said David Swartz, a professor at Penn State University.
Many believe the time is ripe for an autonomous revolution because robotics is already in use in agriculture. One. Company that is working to bring autonomous tractors. Into mainstream farming is Blue and White Robotics, an Israeli agricultural technology company, whose mission is to make a fully autonomous farm. The company released an autonomous tractor kit in February 2021 that can be fixed on any existing tractor. The kit includes camera detection, speed controls, as well as an anti-crash system. Blue and White's kit is being used by West Coast growers in the US. It may soon come to a farm near you.
