Robot farmhands prepare to invade the countryside

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  3:25 01 June 2009 by Tom Simonite
• For similar stories, visit the Food and Drink and Robots Topic Guides

From ploughs to seed drills to tractors, evolving technology has brought about radical changes to agriculture over the years. Now the sector is poised for another shift as robotic farmhands gear up to make agriculture greener and more efficient.

Three things now make mobile agricultural robots a real possibility in the near future, says Tony Stentz, an engineer at Carnegie Mellon University's robotics institute.

Firstly, mobile robots have now proved able to cope with complex outdoor environments; secondly, the price of production has fallen; and, finally, society should now see robot labourers as a benefit not a curse.

Robots could address growing concerns in the developed world about a lack of labour availability in a sector reliant on intense bursts of tough, seasonal work. "Automation is becoming a necessity rather than an enhancement," says John Billingsley at Australia's National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture in Toowoomba, Queensland.

Swords to ploughshares

Perhaps ironically, the fact that robots are now becoming capable of taking on the muddy challenges of food production is in large part down to the military.

The technology needed to make the leap from autonomous robots transporting things around factories to getting their wheels dirty in the field has been honed by events like the US DARPA grand challenge, a series of races for autonomous cars that had teams sending them across the desert or even through urban streets with real traffic.

Stentz helped an SUV called "Boss" win the Urban Challenge in 2007 and also worked on Crusher, a 6-tonne vehicle capable of driving unaided across extreme terrain.

"If you can deal with an off-road environment you have never seen before then you're well equipped for agriculture," says Stentz. "We have hit the elbow in the curve for this technology making it big outdoors." He thinks that the next few years will see rapid changes in what robots can practically and affordably offer farmers.

Bearing fruit

But while having robots navigate their way through groves of trees may be similar to previously tackled robotic problems, getting them to read a crop like a seasoned rustic is another matter.

Stentz is experimenting with sending autonomous mobile robots along the rows of a Florida orange grove. The 3D laser ranging scanner used for navigation can capture detailed measures of every tree's foliage and even count the oranges they bear, he says. His Carnegie Mellon colleague Sanjiv Singh is also gathering laser-ranging data in apple orchards in Pennsylvania (see image).

Singh has also modified an orchard platform – a vehicle that drives along lines of trees carrying workers aloft to reach high fruit – to drive without human control. "Speciality crops like citrus, apples and other fruit trees have the most to gain from automation because they have not seen the same improvements in efficiency as other crops," he told New Scientist.

Saving spray

Tree-reading machines could record data more often and more thoroughly than humans, providing early warnings of disease and more accurate yield predictions, says Stentz. This could help make the spraying of chemicals more targeted and efficient. "Instead of spraying at one constant rate, we can use [a robot-built] map to work out how to put down the minimal amount of chemical," he says.

Robots that navigate using laser ranging can also work at night, when more insects are active and winds are less strong, Stentz adds, making chemicals go further. Engineers at Carnegie have already demonstrated that a robotic tractor can pilot itself around an orchard spraying water.

Such smart automation could take off if, like any new kind of consumer technology, it can offer enough benefits to be attractive to a large number of farmers, says Billingsley, and the costs should now be low enough. He is currently working on a computer vision system that monitors the condition of cattle on huge Australian cattle stations when they cue up to access a water hole.

The Carnegie projects also involve researchers from Florida, Cornell, Penn State, Washington State, Oregon State and Purdue universities, and a range of industrial partners.

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Microsoft unveils new controller

By Daniel Emery  Technology reporter, BBC News website, Los Angeles Milo is revealed to the E3 audience Microsoft has unveiled its new control system for the Xbox 360, at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles. Project Natal is a fully hands-free control system that will use face recognition and motion sensors to allow users to play games. Film director Steven Spielberg, attending the launch, said it was "a window into what the future holds". Although still in the early stages, Microsoft has sent prototypes to all the main game developers. Speaking to the BBC, Mr Spielberg said he had always stated that "the main barrier stopping people getting into video games was the complexity of a games controller," and that Natal was "a whole new world". "There is technology now that recognises not just your thumb, it recognises your entire person. The technology knows who you are," he said. Mr Spielberg drew an analogy with the film industry, saying it was evolutionary step for games. "It's like the square screen we saw all of our movies on in the early 1950s. Then The Robe came out in Cinemascope. And then came CinRam and Imax followed. That's what this [Natal] is.  I think the technology looks very interesting but its success depends on the content and how easy it is to use  Piers Harding-Rolls, analyst During the demonstration, British developer Peter Molyneux showed how Natal could not only recognise faces, it could recognise facial expressions to determine what mood a player was in and react accordingly. Mr Spielberg said this offered new opportunities for game development "The video games industry has not allowed us the opportunity to cry, because we were too busy putting our adrenalin rush into the controller, or wherever we swing our arm with a Wii controller to get a result," he said. "Because of that, there is no room for a video game to break your heart. We now have a little more room to be a little more emotional with Natal technology than we did before." Speaking to the BBC, Piers Harding-Rolls, senior analyst with Screen Digest, said the success of Natal depended on a number of different factors. "I think the technology looks very interesting but its success depends on the content and how easy it is to use," he said. "The other aspect is cost and how they will get it out to the user base," he said. "That said, I think Microsoft would like to get it out sooner, rather than later. "Sales of the Xbox 360 hit their peak in 2008 and are now expected to decline, in terms of console sales, so you would expect them to get it out as soon as possible to rekindle interest in the platform." Leak Mr Spielberg said the controller meant a big step forward for gaming The details of Project Natal had already leaked out a few weeks ago when the US patent office released documents, filed by Microsoft, of a "motion sensor that makes use of face recognition software and biometrics". At the time, most experts believed that Microsoft were patenting concepts, rather than an actual application, and would focus on a motion detector similar to the Nintendo's Wii controller. Speaking to the BBC, Shane Kim, Microsoft's Cooperate Vice-President of Xbox Strategy and Development, said they were worried the story was going to break before the official launch. "Most of the information was out there, but no one was able to put the full story together," he said. Games bonanza Project Natal was not the only big announcement from Microsoft.  It will let people achieve skate supremacy in the comfort of their own living rooms  Tony Hawk The company unveiled 10 new games for the Xbox 360, including Beatles Rock Band, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Tony Hawk Ride and Final Fantasy XIII. Tony Hawk Ride comes with its own skateboard controller, similar to the Wii Balance board, although this is the first time such a device had been available for the Xbox 360. Tony Hawks, who was at the launch to promote his game, said it was something he had wanted for some time. "I always wanted to do a game with a skateboard controller but the technology wasn't there until now," he said. "It will allow anyone to grind rails and catch big airs; even if you have never been on a skateboard, it will let people achieve skate supremacy in the comfort of their own living rooms." And in a follow up to the news that Microsoft had tied up a deal with Sky to show content via Xbox Live, Microsoft said they had entered a joint agreement with Facebook and Twitter to create what Mr Kim called "full integration between three of the largest social networking sites on the planet. "For us, it's a very big priority to make Xbox live the next generation of social networking," he said. Both Nintendo and Sony consoles stream video content using the BBC iPlayer. Mr Kim played down allegations that Microsoft had opted to team up with Sky purely to differentiate themselves from their competitors. "Our partnership with Sky is about bringing great video and entertainment to our UK customers. That was our focus," he said.

University College London to offer new MSc program in nanotechnology and nanomedicine

University College London will run a brand new MSc in Nanotechnology and Regenerative Medicine from September 2009.

Programme convenors: Dr Marilena Loizidou and Prof. Alexander Seifalian

Administrative contact: Prof. Alex Seifalian - tel: 0207 830 2901, e mail a.seifalian[at]medsch.ucl.ac.uk

Duration of the progamme - 1 year full-time, 2 years part-time

Click here for a link to a pdf outlining the course .

Programme aims

The new fields of Nanotechnology and Regenerative Medicine are expanding at a rapid pace. This MSc course introduces robust scientific understanding and aims to equip graduate students with the research and transferable tools in this exciting cross-discipline.

Course contents include mandatory modules in the cutting edge fields of “Nanotechnology” and“Tissue Engineering” and also a hand-on lab based module in “Molecular and Bionanotechnology techniques” and a workshop-based module in “Statistics in Biomedical Research”. An in-depth laboratory based research project is a fundamental component and opens up opportunities for further research and possible publications.

The choices include modules on “Practice of Science”, “Research Funding” or “Route to Translation to Clinic and to Commercialisation of Nanotechnology Products.”

The course is designed to be accessible to students from a large number of disciplines, ranging from medicine and biology to physics, chemistry and engineering. The course will run full time for the first year.

Detailed information about the curriculum will appear shortly. In the interim, please contact Prof. Seifalian for further details, and entry requirements.

The closing date for applications is 31 July 2009.

Source: University College London

When can we expect to see nano phones hitting the market - and will the recession slow innovation down?

By Richard Goodwin

In the competitive market place of mobile phones, new technologies come out over night, change everything, and then become simply “ordinary” a week later.

The entire industry centres on a form of technological Darwinism, where only the strongest and most visible products survive. Despite this, is it possible to accurately make predictions about what the future holds for mobile phones?

In 2005, Nokia released its Communicator 888 concept phone. The device featured a liquid battery, was completely flexible and capable of morphing shape - showing what was potentially possible with nanotechnology.

But, has there been any progress since, and, if so, could nanotechnology become the next technology to revolutionise the mobile phone industry?

From dream to touchscreen

Not so long ago, touch screen phones were merely a pipe dream, now they account for 20 per cent of the entire mobile phone market – largely thanks to Apple’s groundbreaking iPhone, which illustrated profoundly the effect technology can have on an industry in a short period of time.

However, touch screen along with 3G capabilities, picture and video projectors, as well as social GPS are all small potatoes compared to what Nokia is supposedly cooking up.

The Finnish phone giant recently announced its plans to create a transformable mobile phone, by using nanotechnology to produce flexible electronic components that would allow the handset to morph between shapes, develop artificial intelligence, and even clean itself.

Known as Morph, the joint venture between Nokia and Cambridge University, seeks to build on the 888 concept, and eventually implement nanotechnology into mobile devices.

Dr. Bob Iannucci, chief technology officer (CTO), at Nokia said in a statement: "Nokia Research Centre is looking at ways to reinvent the form and function of mobile devices; the Morph concept shows what might be possible.”

What’s set for 2033?

Whether this technology is just an interesting theoretical discussion point, or an actual palpable technology remains to be seen - no one knows what the future holds, particularly in the world of technology. However, devices such as the iPhone and the hotly anticipated Palm Pre profoundly illustrate hwo the implementation of new technology can really shake-up a market, even during a recession.

Motorola, according to their spokesperson Amanda Kamin, is experimenting with ideas and concept for future mobile device. The 2033 concept takes a look 25 years into the future by considering how the world is changing, and how technology will develop around it.

The 2033 concept features an organic memory application, which would theoretically capture memories directly from your brain. Additionally, second sight, which augments your vision and is essentially a head mounted device, creates virtual reality applications, and infinite screen possibilities.

“While I can’t really comment on whether we’re doing anything towards incorporating nanotechnology into our research - I can say that we do pride ourselves on constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible,” said Kamin.

She added: “The 2033 concept is a clear example of our thinking out of the box.”

“We also developed touchscreen technology a few years before it became mainstream. Unfortunately, at the time it wasn’t viable within the current consumer market. But that serves as a good example of companies constantly trying things out before they make it into the commercial market,” Kamin added.

An obvious clue for future incarnations ofmobile phones is that smaller is definitely the future. Commenting on this relationship, and particularly the significance of nanotechnology, David Bishop, vice president of research at Nanoworld said: "Nanotechnology is all about small, light and cheap, and you're not in the cell phone business if you're not thinking small, light and cheap - the two are made for each other."

Does the recession matter?

However, Nick Jones, technology market analyst at GartnerGartner, does not share Bishop’s enthusiasm: “To be honest, we’re less likely to see these devices now more than ever, due to the current state of the economy.”

“The reduction of the market by 10 per cent has forced the phone companies to focus on mainstream, rather than speculative products.”

He added: “If I had to speculate I would put Apple in front of Nokia for something like this, as they cater to a more exclusive market. Nokia are mainstream, and very eager to hold on to their 42 per cent market share,” said Jones.

“Once firms like Intel have developed the technology, it is likely that it will trickle down to the mobile phone companies. However, this is still very far off into the future - science fiction, basically,” he added.

When will the future arrive?

Indeed, Nokia say it will be at least seven years before technology from the Morph will be integrated into high-end, off-the-shelf phones. However, the odds of it being actual nanotechnology are doubtful, particularly when you consider the present silicon paradigm is expected to last until 2020.

Motorola, according to Kamin, “concentrate on getting the technology exactly right before they release it, due to the fact that consumers needs and requirements change so rapidly,” concurring with Jones’ sentiment about manufacturers focusing on mainstream markets, as apposed to speculative and exclusive ones.

Additional boundaries to technology development, particularly nanotechnology, are the research costs, which are gigantic, and currently led by Intel.

But even when they develop something new, it doesn’t mean it’s hitting shelves. Intel’s recent development of 'graphene', which is a form of graphite that consists of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb pattern, allows for rapid information transfer at a minuscule scale when compared to existing chip sizes, and serves to further bridge the gap between science fiction and reality. But it’s still a long way from being anything more than a prototype.

So unfortunately we can’t expect a nanotechnology-based mobile phone anytime soon, which is certainly a shame. However, what is clear is that mobile designers and researchers are clearly moving towards a new technological paradigm that will eventually see the light of day.

“While you do have to view these devices as essentially marketing tools - I do feel that in the next five years we’ll see a new definition of what constitutes a mobile phone,” said Jones.

For the latest mobile phone news and reviews, visit Know Your Mobile.