Buzz Off, Bees. Pollination Robots Are Here

Good news! What about robots to make honey? 😄

"Farmers have long relied on insects, wind and even human workers to help pollinate their crops. Now, advances in artificial intelligence are helping some startups develop another way to pollinate plants: robots.

Across the globe, startups are testing robots to pollinate everything from blueberries to almonds. And in Australia, one company is so confident in robots’ abilities that it will soon deploy a fleet of them to pollinate tomatoes in its greenhouses. ..."

"... Farmers in Australia and the U.S. are using robots from Israeli startup Arugga Farming to pollinate greenhouse tomatoes, The Wall Street Journal reported. 

How it works: The system is designed for growing tomatoes, which self-pollinate when their pollen is stirred up by the beating of insect wings. Robots equipped with cameras, vision algorithms, and air compressors wheel themselves between rows of plants. When they recognize a flower that’s ready to produce fruit, they blast it with air to release its pollen. ..."

Buzz Off, Bees. Pollination Robots Are Here. - WSJ (behind paywall) Advances in artificial intelligence are helping some startups develop another way to pollinate plants, which could increase yield compared with insects and human workers

Credits: Andre Ng's The Batch