Irish scientists develop agricultural robotics

I: the near future the sight of robots trundling through rural fields could be as familiar as that of combine harvesters and tractors, according to Professor Gerry Lacey.

- BAIRBRE HOLMES

One of Maynooth University's farming robots which is now in development

(Maynooth University/Press Association)

‘The robotics expert, along with a team of “enthusiastic young people” in the Republic of Ireland, are working on a range of experiments to push the boundaries of modern farming at the Automating Regenerative Agriculture (Aura) project at Ireland’s Maynooth University.

Using a hectare of land in County Kildare, they are exploring how robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) can pick crops more efficiently, tackle weeds more effectively and integrate solar panels into the everyday work of a farm.

Prof Lacey believes technological advances are key to solving the looming problem of how to feed the world’s growing population.

“By 2050, we're going to have to feed 10 billion people, which means that we have to increase the amount of food on planet earth by 56% but we need to do that without using any more land,” he said. “We also need to do that while we reduce the emissions from agriculture”