We're becoming obsolete

[daugen]

It seems much more efficient for the tractor pulling the planter to be robotically controlled.

agree 100%. With a human inside.
I have one of those round cleaning robots, a middle line one, and it works remarkably well, getting under
a few pieces of furniture that even the normal vac won't reach. Robbie the Robot per my wife.
But it really only picks up little bits of stuff, the stuff you can see. One still has to do vacuum normally.

Let's see, they've figured this out really well for pool vacs, they're everywhere.

I think they are still working out the tech here on a small scale. Then I'm assuming the bots will get larger.
Maybe we can get them to go after feral cats if they see one...

 

[dave1949]

Cat terminator! :laughing:

I don't think it something to worry about in my lifetime, but there is always the possibility that we should "go Amish" on this mechanization thing. Just decide that we will be happy at some level of technology that makes sense for humans.

Even at the low initial levels now employed, we have no idea how to provide meaningful work for many people as it is.

 

[daugen]

Cat terminator!

this is funny to me because of another active thread on the problem with feral cats, millions of them, killing all the small wildlife, including birds, who most of us love to feed and enjoy.
We'll each have our own little 3cpo equipped with a variety of "tools" to discourage/eliminate the local feral cat population. If you own a cat, collar it/microchip it. Without the collar,
that cat would be fair game for 3cpo. Ok buddy, what did you bring home today?

 

[KTurner]

I just had a mental image of thousands of these things working a huge field... And a sudden thunderstorm kicks up sending thousands of these bots on a death run for shelter. Every bot for itself!!!

 

[heviduty]

You had me at tractors, ....and now robots, too? This site just keeps getting more interesting.

 

[Bikewanderer]

The idea of a robot farm worker seems pretty hokey to me. If we assume that the average farmer has maybe 6 days to get planting done in the spring, that's 144 hours or planting. So, the only way to improve the current situation is to have more horsepower or be able to operate on days that he can't currently.

Adding multiple tractors that can be operated by one worker, more horsepower, or better traction is about the only opportunities that I can see.