I lived in Italy for nearly 20 years, and it’s difficult to imagine Italians tolerating anyone tampering with their precious tomato, the main ingredient in their all-important “gravy”. But they seem to be OK with the newfangled “Realtomato” showing up in their caprese salads and Margherita pizzas. More »
Australia is a major agriculture producer; it’s a vital part of our economy. And as our farmers battle drought and soil fertility, technology will play a bigger role. So how far-fetched is it to think that autonomous swarms of robot planters and harvesters could be part of the answer, at least when it comes to manpower and productivity. More »
Despite advancements in mechanisation within US agriculture, some menial jobs are still best left to human workers. Problem is, federal crackdowns on undocumented labourers have decimated that workforce. The Harvester automaton could provide a cheap, readily available labour force without the threat of raids by the INS. More »
It’s easy for people and most animals to tell the difference between ripe and unripe strawberries — just look for the red ones. But for robots, that’s no simple feat. So researchers at the National Physical Laboratory have developed a four-part technology to teach robots how to pick only the sweetest berries. More »
Many would be glad to see the Golden Arches topple for nutritional reasons, but some scientists think that with the human population growing and oil production past its peak, the era of cheap, abundant food is reaching its inevitable end. More »
