SASKATOON – Practical, innovative machines that help industries prosper: meet the ‘robotic assistant farmer’, developed by Dr. Reza Fotouhi, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Saskatchewan.
The powerful robot self-navigates, finding its way around fields and terrain alone. Dr. Fotouhi said it has the ability to tow equipment, plant crops, and maintain them.
“The laser scanner helps act as the eye of the robot; it will see whatever is coming in front of it, it will see the holes, the road,” he said.
However, inventions like these continue to fuel concerns about job loss.
“To be honest, it would take away some of the jobs, especially manufacturing…but again, we can’t blame robots for taking jobs, because it’s competition–that’s how the world is evolving,” said Fotouhi.
Delaval supplies Saskatchewan dairy farmers with robotic equipment.
“I’d have to say that most Canadian dairy farms looking for new equipment are choosing robotics, ” said branch manager Tony Christensen. “I think people are trying to manage their dairy farms as efficiently as possible.”
In Saskatchewan, robots may also help with labour shortages.
“Traditionally, they’ve had to be in the barn to milk either two or three times a day, whereas now with the robot doing the actual work, they can re-address or re-distribute their work to the farm in other areas,” said Morgan Hobin, manager at the Rayner Dairy Facility.