Farming is the oldest industry out there, but it’s one that’s far from being perfect. Some parts of the world suffer from major cases of over-farming, whereas other places can’t get enough. It’s tricky trying to get the right balance between supply and demand when it comes to food, but with thanks to machine learning techniques, we may just be one step closer to achieving this.
The world’s population is steadily increasing, and in order to continue to feed everyone, farming techniques need to become more efficient and farmers smarter. One new technique that has been developed to tackle this problem is vertical farming. This is a technique that produces plentiful crops in a limited space, often indoors, in a controlled environment. Some crops even grow 20 percent quicker with over 90 percent less water using this method.
So, that’s the process taken care of; now it’s down to the monitoring of it. Farming requires constant attention, whether indoors or out. But, with the help of new technologies, this may have got a whole lot easier. While sensors can monitor the plant’s vitals and send updates to remote servers, machine learning can study these stats and the growth of certain crops to predict any future needs. And, on top of that AR could be used to monitor and maintain healthy crops.
One system that has been designed to help those in the farming industry is Plant.IO. While PVC pipes house the sensors, grow-lights, cameras and other equipment, a remote server uses machine learning to analyze the growth and predict what the plant will need in the future. If AR glasses are used, the user will get an image of the plant regardless of where they are. Also, if using a device such as Microsoft’s HoloLens, the user can also interact with the crops by changing their fertilizer or water levels, or by adjusting the lights.
If this type of farming were to become mainstream, it would make life so much easier for those in the farming industry. Their crops could be managed while they are sitting in the comfort of their own home, but with the added security that they are still in control. So, with this in mind, we may now be in a position where we can actually perfect farming techniques and save money in the process.
More News To Read
