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Re:Farming robot kills 100k weeds per hour with lasers by titzer on Monday April 26, 2021 @10:59AM (#26943192)
Is mowing really any less work than pulling weeds by hand? Keep in mind that insects need habitat, too, and tall grasses are key for them. Mowing obliterates insects.
Re:Farming robot kills 100k weeds per hour with lasers by gdubs on Monday April 26, 2021 @11:06AM (#26943281)
Over time we’re establishing native fescues which don’t get super tall. As well as native wildflowers. All beneficial for the insects. Once established, mowing becomes less frequent. But we’re talking about 20 acre areas, so yea it’s a lot more realistic than weeding by hand.
Re:Farming robot kills 100k weeds per hour with lasers by chasd00 on Monday April 26, 2021 @11:55AM (#26943932)
when i was in HS i worked on one of those crews you see mowing highways and state parks (super good money for a teen but man it was hard work). Mowing on a slope with a large tractor can be very dangerous because you can tip over. Automating away the danger to a human may be worth the effort in its own right.
Re:Farming robot kills 100k weeds per hour with lasers by HeyLaughingBoy on Monday April 26, 2021 @01:53PM (#26945616)
They make remote control (wired) mowers specifically for this use case. I've also seen some steep-slope brush mowers from Swiss companies, but those are hand-operated. Not surprisingly, the Swiss have a lot of farm equipment designed for use on very steep slopes.
Re:Farming robot kills 100k weeds per hour with lasers by delfinom on Monday April 26, 2021 @12:01PM (#26944031)
The real problem is tractors aren't designed correctly for slopes, you don't need quite automation as much as a vehicle with lower center of gravity.