| > what the value proposition of a swarm of robots is over one large robot? Doing complex detailed work which could innovate the way farming is done ex:
1)not using chemicals, by killing weeds/bugs using robot/symbiotic approach
2)plant plants together (symbiotic plants, complementary vegetables: roots and plants)
3)using the land to plant more crops more densely > Given the large cost of repairs, can a swarm of robots compete on cost? If my one big robot breaks down, I fix it once and it's good to go. When my swarm of robots start to break down, I have to fix the same thing n number of times. I think cost will be an issue this swarms being much more expensive. However they won't break all at once ant you would always have a working fleet. Also the quality would be better, because the same unit would be used everywhere small scale and large scale. >How about transport? Lots of farmers around here have farms which are 50+ miles apart. Right now they can hop into their one robot and drive it to the next farm. Does the swarm need to be loaded onto a trailer and trucked to the next farm? Autonomous on-road operation on country roads definitely isn't coming any time soon. I think that this "startup" will have the logistics sorted by having a large area of land in one piece >Don't get me wrong, the idea is neat. But it has to actually be better than the alternatives to see adoption. Definitely. And that would require a very advanced robot. And maybe we already have the technology. But it would need enormous resources poured into it to make such an advanced product that offers all the benefits. And I don't know if the benefits are real/worth it. |