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SILICON SILIC CHIP www.siliconchip.com.au Publisher Leo Simpson, B.Bus., FAICD Editor Nicholas Vinen Technical Editor John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.) Technical Staff Jim Rowe, B.A., B.Sc Bao Smith, B.Sc Tim Blythman, B.E., B.Sc Technical Contributor Duraid Madina, B.Sc, M.Sc, PhD Art Director & Production Manager Ross Tester Reader Services Ann Morris Advertising Enquiries Glyn Smith Phone (02) 9939 3295 Mobile 0431 792 293 glyn<at>siliconchip.com.au Regular Contributors Dave Thompson David Maddison B.App.Sc. (Hons 1), PhD, Grad.Dip.Entr.Innov. Geoff Graham Associate Professor Graham Parslow Ian Batty Cartoonist Brendan Akhurst Silicon Chip is published 12 times a year by Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd. ACN 003 205 490. ABN 49 003 205 490. All material is copyright ©. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Subscription rates: $105.00 per year in Australia. For overseas rates, see our website or the subscriptions page in this issue. Editorial office: Unit 1 (up ramp), 234 Harbord Rd, Brookvale, NSW 2100. Postal address: PO Box 139, Collaroy Beach, NSW 2097. Phone (02) 9939 3295. E-mail: silicon<at>siliconchip.com.au Printing and Distribution: Derby Street, Silverwater, NSW 2148. Editorial Viewpoint I, for one, welcome our new farm robot overlords After reading the article on agricultural robots in this issue, some readers may be concerned about the job losses resulting from their inevitable use on Australian farms. But increased automation on farms is on-going and is desirable, for a number of reasons. There are plenty of jobs available on Australian farms (siliconchip.com.au/link/aak1) but very few people available to do the work. You can understand why: who wants to live out the back of Woop Woop or work in the hot sun all day? Robots, however, generally don’t complain about their employment conditions! And if you’re concerned about the pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers used in agriculture, you will be pleased to hear that the technology described in our article should lead to a reduction in the use of all of those chemicals. That’s partly because robots allow these chemicals to be used in a much more targeted manner. For example, robots can roam the fields, spraying individual weeds so that farmers don’t have to spray the whole crop. Some can even kill the weeds without needing any chemicals at all. We also describe technology which allows fertiliser to be applied to the plants which need it most. Another technique for increased pest and disease resistance is known as “inter-cropping” but this is generally only feasible in countries with cheap labour. But research from the University of Wageningen in The Netherlands mentions that robot technology could make this technique practical on a larger scale, as is necessary in a vast country like Australia (see siliconchip.com.au/link/aajz). Another important modern farming technique is “no-till” farming which has become widespread in Australia over the last couple of decades. By reducing or eliminating tilling, soil erosion is reduced, water retention is improved and the remnants of the last crop help to fertilise the next one. But one of the problems with no-till farming is that it relies on increased use of herbicides to kill weeds, and with weeds now becoming resistant to herbicides, farmers may need to go back to tilling to keep them under control (siliconchip.com.au/link/aak2). The aforementioned weed-killing robots may help solve this problem too. The bottom line is that continually improving farm technology should allow food to be grown in a manner which is far more sustainable and better for humans and the environment. In my opinion, this sort of technology is far more important to society than autonomous cars, which have been getting a lot of attention and investment lately (to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars in the last few years). Agricultural technology is also easier to roll out on a wide scale since farms are a much more controlled environment. And it will have a far greater positive impact on society if it means a cheaper, fresher and more plentiful food supply. So more investment in this area would be very beneficial. Australia needs to be at the forefront in developing agricultural technology. With our limited rainfall, huge areas under cultivation and limited rural workforce, we need to actively develop and use the technology in order to reinforce our position as a major food producer. ISSN 1030-2662 Recommended & maximum price only. 2 Silicon Chip Nicholas Vinen Celebrating 30 Years siliconchip.com.au