Team 07-0002
History
Ancient Origins:
Agriculture first came about in approximately 9500 BC in the Fertile Crescent in Ancient Mesopotamia. Sometime after 9500 BC, the first 
crops also known as the eight “founder crops” stated being farmed. These were emmer, einkorn wheat, hulled barley, peas, lentils, bitter vetch, chick peas and flax [1]. Around 7000 BC, the idea of “farming” reached Egypt. By 6000 BC, agriculture was a very important thing along the banks of the Nile River. About this time, agriculture was beginning to develop in the East (Asia) with rice replacing wheat as the primary crop for them. Around 5000 BC, the Sumerians invented several new farming methods: large scale intensive cultivation of land, mono-cropping, organized irrigation, and use of a specialized labour force. Maize (corn) was probably domesticated in the Americas about 3000-2700 BC. Potatoes, Tomatoes, peppers, squash, several varieties of beans, Canna and several other plants were also developed in America [1]
A farmer and a plow. Image from [1] |
Middle Ages: In the Middle Ages, Muslim farmers invented hydraulic irrigation systems and wrote books about farming in certain areas. Automatic irrigation systems were developed and the productivity of farms increased. The trade of some crops increased and people had access to food from far away lands.[1] The Present: Fast forwarding now to to 19th and 20th century when tractors were developed, land was developed very quickly. Now, There are mechanized and “modern” farms all over the world. [1] |
Farming is usually done now with large machines such as combines and harvesters and a large amount of farming is still done by hand. However, now agricultural robots are being developed by the University of Illinois, Warwick Manufacturing Group, and many others. Some robots that exist today are the Ag Tracker, a robotic mushroom picker, a robot grass cutter, a robotic cowmilker, a robotic sheep shearer, and Ag Ants and Agbots.
Picking Mushrooms The robotic mushroom picker is a new machine from the University of Warwick that has the capabilty to pick mushrooms at a much faster rate than humans. It uses a color camera to determine the correct size and shape of the mushrooms and a vacuum suction cup to pick them up. It can work continuously and does not need to take breaks.[2] |
Robot mushroom picker from [2] |
Image from [3] |
Automatic Cow Milking Another robot we have made that helps in agriculture is the Voluntary Milking System which is a cow milker. The reason that the Voluntary Milking System is called voluntary is because the cows that get milked come back to the machine completely on their own. [3] The Voluntary Milking System raised the milk production by fifteen present. Each Voluntary Milking System can milk 175 cows per day. Also each Voluntary Milking System will get 100 pounds of milk per day [4]. The Voluntary Milking System is quicker than a person hand milking a cow. It takes the Voluntary Milking System eight minuets to milk a cow were it takes a farmer to hand milk a nine or ten minuets. Also another advantage about the Voluntary Milking System is that it comes and works every day and never gets sick like farmers do.The Voluntary Milking System also keep track of the cow’s health records. The cows also wear a collar that tells the Voluntary Milking System the last time the cow was milked, and the amount of milk that is expected to be given from the cow[4]. |
Sheep Shearing Another robot that is used in agriculture is the Oracle sheep shearing robot. The Oracle takes about the same time as a human to shear a sheep. There are several differences between a human and the Oracle. The Oracle is a robotic arm that has a pair of shears on the end. The arm can move in 6 directions. It is powered by hydraulic actuators that allow precise motion. It also has several sensors that can tell it where it is in relation to the sheep's skin, which helps to eliminate unnecessary cuts. The Oracle has a computer that helps it map the shape of the current sheep, so it has a better idea of the shape of sheep in general for the future.[15]
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Image from [6] |
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Ag-Ants The Ag Ant project is a new way to use existing technology and modern innovation to create a machine that can be useful. The Ag Ant robot is a robot that walks down rows of crops. This robot costs only 150 dollars, this is better than huge farm equipment that costs more and is harder to store. People are now trying to build Ag Ants that have ultrasonic sensors but it will cost about 500 dollars.[5] |