Robots for dull, dirty, and dangerous jobs




Agricultural robots have the potential to replace humans in jobs that are dull, dirty, or dangerous. A recent study showed that farmers and ranchers have some of the most dangerous jobs, with their fatality rate being 41.1 per 100,000 workers [19]. Some of the most common farming accidents involve tractors – in fact, tractor accidents have the highest fatality rate. Over 44% of all tractor accidents are due to overturning [20]. A simple and effective solution to protect the farmer would be to create autonomous tractor robots. Since the farmer would not need to control the tractor, this would prevent any kind of injury and therefore keep the farmer safe. An autonomous robotic tractor could create straight lines using GPS technology, and the farmer can go on to do more interesting jobs.

The next dirty, grimy issue that farmers are faced with is picking crops. From fruits and vegetables, to odd crops such as melons or cucumbers, farmers waste time picking and harvesting crops. By replacing the amount of hands needed with robotic machinery, farmers could cut the costs of hiring farm workers, cut out the possibility of personal injury [21], and could move onto more interesting jobs such as evaluating their fields. The third example of the dirty, dangerous jobs that farmers must do is handling livestock. While handling livestock farmers face hazards such as charging bulls or animal disease [22], but with a discreet or intimidating robot, farmers could safely feed or handle the animals.

Farmers are constantly dealing with jobs that are not only hazardous to their health, but also are boring and slow the farmer’s rate of production. With the aid of robotic solutions, farming could become safer, more productive and interesting, causing the farmer to reach his or her desired goals more quickly and more efficiently.