End of farm labor - Aussie robot can herd cattle while robot in England harvests crops
FREE Catholic Classes
Robots that can herd cattle and harvest crops are being rolled out for tests in England and Australia. The development of these machines promises to transform the agriculture industry.
Highlights
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
7/13/2016 (1 decade ago)
Published in Technology
Keywords: robots, swagbot, broccoli, manual labor, AI, farms, Australia, England
LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) - One robot can herd cattle and pull a small trailer, another can pick broccoli six times as fast as a human. Both machines are being tested and could revolutionize agriculture.
Australian scientists have unveiled the SwagBot, capable robot on four long, wheeled legs, that can herd cattle and haul light loads around the Australian outback. The robot can pull a trailer through the mud, among other talents.
The robot is serving as a test bed for technology that will later be used to herd cattle and more.
Another robot is being developed in England. This machine can spot and harvest broccoli six times faster than a human. It already operates with 90 percent accuracy. The machine uses a 3D camera taken from an X-Box Kinect.
Robots are the future of agriculture and many repetitive, manual tasks. Unlike the human workers they will replace, robots do not unionize or demand wages or concessions in working conditions. They are never sick, or tired, or lazy. And while they may be expensive up front, they pay for themselves quickly.
This may seem like a disaster for humanity, but it does not have to be so. Some of the money that employers save by laying off millions of workers can be collected and put into education. These laborers will have to develop new skills to make themselves relevant in the new economy. Education systems will need to adjust to teach children new skills.
Such changes may be costly int he short term, but they will be much less expensive than sustaining or policing people who have no skills for life.
Experts predict that within the next 20 years, most manual jobs will be automated as artificial intelligence and advances in robotics surpass human capabilities.
---'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'
Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online
Come Grow With Us
Sign up and walk the Catholic journey with millions around the world.
Receive inspiring emails on saints, daily readings, and free faith-building resources—no cost, ever.
Catholic Online Is Free. But We Need Your Help.
Please Watch
- 7 Morning Prayers
- Mysteries of the Rosary
- Litany of the Bl. Virgin Mary
- Popular Saints
- Popular Prayers
- Female Saints
- Saint Feast Days by Month
- Stations of the Cross
- St. Francis of Assisi
- St. Michael the Archangel
- The Apostles' Creed
- Unfailing Prayer to St. Anthony
- Pray the Rosary
Copyright 2026 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2026 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.
Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.