Farming, or any job that mandates you get some dirt under your fingernails, might seem old-fashioned to some, but since the agricultural industry is where a good amount of our food originates, our future really depends on it. That’s why technological advances are made in farming every day, and like a lot of new technologies, they sure are fascinating. Take Tarzan, for example. It’s a brand new robot that could just be the future of farming (via Engadget).
Growing crops is a lot more than just planting seeds then waiting for the harvest. Like anything that grows, plants need attention and to be checked on to make sure that they’re on the right track. That’s where Tarzan, a sloth-inspired robot developed by researchers at Georgia Tech, comes in. The way it works is actually pretty simple on the surface level: The robot swings along wires stretched parallel over a field of crops and takes photos of the plants, so farmers can inspect their crops without having to actually walk the fields as much.
Tarzan is a prototype now, but as development continues, its creators are hoping to make it energy-efficient, most likely through solar power, to the point where it won’t need any human input for charging or refueling. The robot will get its first real test this summer, when it’ll roam a soybean field in Athens, Georgia and take photos for a different team of researchers studying soybeans.
What do you think about Tarzan? Is it the real deal, or could a drone do this job better? Head to the comments and let us know what you think!
Featured image: Georgia Tech/YouTube
