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Agricultural – fastest growing robotic sector

eetimes.com

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Re: Agricultural – fastest growing robotic sector

#11

Post by fanquake »

johnloeber wrote: post #10

I'm doing work in venture capital with a specific focus on computer vision. I've looked into the agricultural robotics topic with some scrutiny. Here are some comments: * feasibility of this new technology is due to the commoditization of three necessary components over the last few years: cameras (improved immensely in both quality and cost due to the smartphone revolution), drones/UAVs/small satellites themselves,…

"can capture geospatial data on huge areas much more easily"

What are you referring to as a "huge" area? All the work I'm seeing done with drones has been limited to ~700ha/day, if you've got perfect conditions. Normally it's much less.

What do you think drones with heat or IR cameras are most applicable too? When we've got machinery mounted sensors such as a biomass/NDVI camera or a weed-seeker, and the machinery has to make a pass over the field anyways, why not have those sensors onboard the machine? We're seeing Weed-seekers pay for themselves in the first year of use.

Re: Agricultural – fastest growing robotic sector

#12

Post by hengheng »

jonathankoren wrote: post #8

I'm life long friends with with family that owns a 80,000 acre grain and soybean farm, and they looked into drones last year or so for crop assessment, but found it wasn't really effective from either an analysis or price perspective. The drones didn't really have the range or endurance to properly sample the fields (we're talking fields of several square miles each), and the resolution of the camera just couldn't gi…

Hi, can you shoot me an e-mail? I've got a few questions I'd like to ask.

Re: Agricultural – fastest growing robotic sector

#13

Post by hengheng »

johnloeber wrote: post #10

I'm doing work in venture capital with a specific focus on computer vision. I've looked into the agricultural robotics topic with some scrutiny. Here are some comments: * feasibility of this new technology is due to the commoditization of three necessary components over the last few years: cameras (improved immensely in both quality and cost due to the smartphone revolution), drones/UAVs/small satellites themselves,…

* AWS is way too expensive, and in most places where aerial mapping happens, you can't upload 30 Gigabyte to the internet faster than you can process it locally on a gaming PC.

* Smartphone cameras are almost sufficient, but mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras save the day.

Completely agree on the rest btw.

Re: Agricultural – fastest growing robotic sector

#14

Post by CurtMonash »

johnloeber wrote: post #10

I'm doing work in venture capital with a specific focus on computer vision. I've looked into the agricultural robotics topic with some scrutiny. Here are some comments: * feasibility of this new technology is due to the commoditization of three necessary components over the last few years: cameras (improved immensely in both quality and cost due to the smartphone revolution), drones/UAVs/small satellites themselves,…

Drones have a "significant overhead cost".

Who knew?

:)

Re: Agricultural – fastest growing robotic sector

#15

Post by robk »

jonathankoren wrote: post #8

I'm life long friends with with family that owns a 80,000 acre grain and soybean farm, and they looked into drones last year or so for crop assessment, but found it wasn't really effective from either an analysis or price perspective. The drones didn't really have the range or endurance to properly sample the fields (we're talking fields of several square miles each), and the resolution of the camera just couldn't gi…

Mavrx uses low flying aircraft to do the same analysis. It's surpringly cheaper to pay local pilots by the hour then to manage drones at this point although there's surely a point in the future when this changes over...

Re: Agricultural – fastest growing robotic sector

#16

Post by SixSigma »

johnloeber wrote: post #10

I'm doing work in venture capital with a specific focus on computer vision. I've looked into the agricultural robotics topic with some scrutiny. Here are some comments: * feasibility of this new technology is due to the commoditization of three necessary components over the last few years: cameras (improved immensely in both quality and cost due to the smartphone revolution), drones/UAVs/small satellites themselves,…

Would an Autonomous Guided Vehicle be a better idea? Flying strikes me as the expensive part, not moving.

Re: Agricultural – fastest growing robotic sector

#18

Post by TheArcane »

johnloeber wrote: post #10

I'm doing work in venture capital with a specific focus on computer vision. I've looked into the agricultural robotics topic with some scrutiny. Here are some comments: * feasibility of this new technology is due to the commoditization of three necessary components over the last few years: cameras (improved immensely in both quality and cost due to the smartphone revolution), drones/UAVs/small satellites themselves,…

Are you looking to hire?

Re: Agricultural – fastest growing robotic sector

#19

Post by jbms »

johnloeber wrote: post #10

I'm doing work in venture capital with a specific focus on computer vision. I've looked into the agricultural robotics topic with some scrutiny. Here are some comments: * feasibility of this new technology is due to the commoditization of three necessary components over the last few years: cameras (improved immensely in both quality and cost due to the smartphone revolution), drones/UAVs/small satellites themselves,…

IR camera modules that can be plugged into smartphones have been dropping in cost fast and the quality's superb for uncooled IR sensors, so they're not far off being usable.

Re: Agricultural – fastest growing robotic sector

#20

Post by NicoJuicy »

robk wrote: post #15
jonathankoren wrote: post #8

I'm life long friends with with family that owns a 80,000 acre grain and soybean farm, and they looked into drones last year or so for crop assessment, but found it wasn't really effective from either an analysis or price perspective. The drones didn't really have the range or endurance to properly sample the fields (we're talking fields of several square miles each), and the resolution of the camera just couldn't gi…

Mavrx uses low flying aircraft to do the same analysis. It's surpringly cheaper to pay local pilots by the hour then to manage drones at this point although there's surely a point in the future when this changes over...

Any coöperation in a foreign country possible?
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