How Robotic Automation Is Transforming Food and Agriculture

The idea of robotic automation receives lots of criticism from many ends. Many critics base their argument on the possibility of robots taking over many jobs and the fear of replacing human employees. While this argument might hold some water, many overlook the fact that many of the automated tasks are undesirable to the human employee in the first place; and that there are many other benefits like speed and safety that are realized after automation.

Automation in Food and Agriculture

For a long time, automation has been a reserve for big manufacturing and assembling industries. However, thanks to new innovations, we have affordable automation robots that have enabled the technology to spill out to other fields like food and agriculture.

Advances in technology have seen traditional farming aids like tractors receive technological makeovers over recent times. We now have automatic tractors that operate without a driver. With their operation commands which are run remotely, the driverless tractors are able to complete farm activities like planting.

In food production, automation helps build customer trust in a brand name or product. This is achieved when there is a consistent flow of a product in the market. Trademark tastes and appearances can be achieved through automation and they go a long way in helping consumers identify and relate to a product.

Automation in Beverage Production

Today, many beverage production companies use a high-speed production line with an automatic guide that allows containers make their way into the turrets where they are refilled, branded and packaged without human interference or aid. The automatic system is sterilized such that all the items are bacteria free. Because the process of refilling is repetitive, human workers can suffer injury due to associated injuries and this could compromise either the quality or quantity of production.

In Food Packaging

Collaborative industrial arms can quickly and easily perform pick and place tasks at a faster rate. Unlike a human being, the packaging cobot does not tire or wear out. There are minimum breakages and therefore, packaging and labelling remain steady and consistent. A robot has a higher endurance than a human being. Some cobot’ models have an ability to sense the traces of defect on food products.

Robots for Farm Activities

The process of crop farming involves a number of tasks like sowing, weeding, irrigating, pest and weed control. Most of these are laborious tasks and unattractive for many humans. However, they are very vital for any crop production engagement to be a success. Collaborative robots from Universal Robots are fitted with an advanced technology that allows them to recognize specific details that help in weed removal or spraying of pesticides.

Automated Harvesting

With industrial robots, complete automation of crop harvesting was never a success. The robots did not have a technology that would allow them to differentiate or take special care of fresh crop products like fruits and vegetables. Such harvests would suffer bruises and top damage because the old robots were designed to move items in a powerful swift.

Today, collaborative industrial robots are fitted with sensors, cameras, speed monitoring tools and other devices that enable them to complete all the farming stages without causing any damage to the crop regardless of the type.

Conclusion

Many activities in food and agricultural production are repetitive in nature. Very few people are attracted to this field. Cobots help as a solution to the issue of labour shortage, reigniting the beauty of agriculture.

It is without a doubt that the use of collaborative robots in food and agriculture can help boost the general productivity of both industries. With the right robotic technology in place, there will be no labour strains. Monitoring activities will be easy and the cost of production will be greatly reduced. Delicate crops can be taken care of using specifically designed industrial arms. The right technology will bring out tangible results.

If you are interested in taking your farming and food production skills to the next level, you need to step out of the ancient technologies by embracing the new and transformed innovations. Robotic experts can advise on the best tools and even come up with a tailor-made program that will match your needs.