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DUKAS_132439729_EYE
When Amazon came to town: Swindon feels strain as new depot sucks up jobs. Firm has hired 2,000 staff in a matter of months in Wiltshire town, with ripple effect on other businesses.
When Amazon came to town: Amazon's automated warehouse in Swindon, UK. Swindon feels strain as new depot sucks up jobs. Firm has hired 2,000 staff in a matter of months in Wiltshire town, with ripple effect on other businesses.
Amazon advertises new roles as ‘a job for life, not just for Christmas’.
On an industrial estate outside Swindon, it’s the busiest time of year at Amazon’s newest warehouse in Britain. Black boxes rattle along miles of conveyor belt, carrying everything from toys to painkillers amid a cacophony of alarms and the faint hum of Christmas songs.
The vast site is a stark reminder of Amazon’s might. As well as upending consumer habits and standing accused of gaining an unfair advantage by paying too little in tax and hollowing out high streets, the company is creating huge distortions in the jobs market. The new depot has created its own gravitational force sucking staff away from other businesses such as care homes.
The latest outpost of Jeff Bezos’s empire also illustrates the shifting economic sands in the western world. In July, the nearby Honda car factory closed – a decision blamed partly on Brexit – with the loss of about 3,000 direct jobs plus thousands more in the supply chain, many of which were high-paying, skilled roles.
© Graeme Robertson / Guardian / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
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(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
© Guardian / eyevine. All Rights Reserved. -
DUKAS_132439776_EYE
When Amazon came to town: Swindon feels strain as new depot sucks up jobs. Firm has hired 2,000 staff in a matter of months in Wiltshire town, with ripple effect on other businesses.
When Amazon came to town: Amazon's automated warehouse in Swindon, UK. Swindon feels strain as new depot sucks up jobs. Firm has hired 2,000 staff in a matter of months in Wiltshire town, with ripple effect on other businesses.
Amazon advertises new roles as ‘a job for life, not just for Christmas’.
On an industrial estate outside Swindon, it’s the busiest time of year at Amazon’s newest warehouse in Britain. Black boxes rattle along miles of conveyor belt, carrying everything from toys to painkillers amid a cacophony of alarms and the faint hum of Christmas songs.
The vast site is a stark reminder of Amazon’s might. As well as upending consumer habits and standing accused of gaining an unfair advantage by paying too little in tax and hollowing out high streets, the company is creating huge distortions in the jobs market. The new depot has created its own gravitational force sucking staff away from other businesses such as care homes.
The latest outpost of Jeff Bezos’s empire also illustrates the shifting economic sands in the western world. In July, the nearby Honda car factory closed – a decision blamed partly on Brexit – with the loss of about 3,000 direct jobs plus thousands more in the supply chain, many of which were high-paying, skilled roles.
© Graeme Robertson / Guardian / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
© Guardian / eyevine. All Rights Reserved. -
DUKAS_132439717_EYE
When Amazon came to town: Swindon feels strain as new depot sucks up jobs. Firm has hired 2,000 staff in a matter of months in Wiltshire town, with ripple effect on other businesses.
When Amazon came to town: Amazon's automated warehouse in Swindon, UK. Swindon feels strain as new depot sucks up jobs. Firm has hired 2,000 staff in a matter of months in Wiltshire town, with ripple effect on other businesses.
Amazon advertises new roles as ‘a job for life, not just for Christmas’.
On an industrial estate outside Swindon, it’s the busiest time of year at Amazon’s newest warehouse in Britain. Black boxes rattle along miles of conveyor belt, carrying everything from toys to painkillers amid a cacophony of alarms and the faint hum of Christmas songs.
The vast site is a stark reminder of Amazon’s might. As well as upending consumer habits and standing accused of gaining an unfair advantage by paying too little in tax and hollowing out high streets, the company is creating huge distortions in the jobs market. The new depot has created its own gravitational force sucking staff away from other businesses such as care homes.
The latest outpost of Jeff Bezos’s empire also illustrates the shifting economic sands in the western world. In July, the nearby Honda car factory closed – a decision blamed partly on Brexit – with the loss of about 3,000 direct jobs plus thousands more in the supply chain, many of which were high-paying, skilled roles.
© Graeme Robertson / Guardian / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
© Guardian / eyevine. All Rights Reserved. -
DUKAS_132439768_EYE
When Amazon came to town: Swindon feels strain as new depot sucks up jobs. Firm has hired 2,000 staff in a matter of months in Wiltshire town, with ripple effect on other businesses.
When Amazon came to town: Amazon's automated warehouse in Swindon, UK. Swindon feels strain as new depot sucks up jobs. Firm has hired 2,000 staff in a matter of months in Wiltshire town, with ripple effect on other businesses.
Amazon advertises new roles as ‘a job for life, not just for Christmas’.
On an industrial estate outside Swindon, it’s the busiest time of year at Amazon’s newest warehouse in Britain. Black boxes rattle along miles of conveyor belt, carrying everything from toys to painkillers amid a cacophony of alarms and the faint hum of Christmas songs.
The vast site is a stark reminder of Amazon’s might. As well as upending consumer habits and standing accused of gaining an unfair advantage by paying too little in tax and hollowing out high streets, the company is creating huge distortions in the jobs market. The new depot has created its own gravitational force sucking staff away from other businesses such as care homes.
The latest outpost of Jeff Bezos’s empire also illustrates the shifting economic sands in the western world. In July, the nearby Honda car factory closed – a decision blamed partly on Brexit – with the loss of about 3,000 direct jobs plus thousands more in the supply chain, many of which were high-paying, skilled roles.
© Graeme Robertson / Guardian / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
© Guardian / eyevine. All Rights Reserved. -
DUKAS_132439774_EYE
When Amazon came to town: Swindon feels strain as new depot sucks up jobs. Firm has hired 2,000 staff in a matter of months in Wiltshire town, with ripple effect on other businesses.
When Amazon came to town: Amazon's automated warehouse in Swindon, UK. Swindon feels strain as new depot sucks up jobs. Firm has hired 2,000 staff in a matter of months in Wiltshire town, with ripple effect on other businesses.
Amazon advertises new roles as ‘a job for life, not just for Christmas’.
On an industrial estate outside Swindon, it’s the busiest time of year at Amazon’s newest warehouse in Britain. Black boxes rattle along miles of conveyor belt, carrying everything from toys to painkillers amid a cacophony of alarms and the faint hum of Christmas songs.
The vast site is a stark reminder of Amazon’s might. As well as upending consumer habits and standing accused of gaining an unfair advantage by paying too little in tax and hollowing out high streets, the company is creating huge distortions in the jobs market. The new depot has created its own gravitational force sucking staff away from other businesses such as care homes.
The latest outpost of Jeff Bezos’s empire also illustrates the shifting economic sands in the western world. In July, the nearby Honda car factory closed – a decision blamed partly on Brexit – with the loss of about 3,000 direct jobs plus thousands more in the supply chain, many of which were high-paying, skilled roles.
© Graeme Robertson / Guardian / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
© Guardian / eyevine. All Rights Reserved. -
DUKAS_132439766_EYE
When Amazon came to town: Swindon feels strain as new depot sucks up jobs. Firm has hired 2,000 staff in a matter of months in Wiltshire town, with ripple effect on other businesses.
When Amazon came to town: Amazon's automated warehouse in Swindon, UK. Swindon feels strain as new depot sucks up jobs. Firm has hired 2,000 staff in a matter of months in Wiltshire town, with ripple effect on other businesses.
Amazon advertises new roles as ‘a job for life, not just for Christmas’.
On an industrial estate outside Swindon, it’s the busiest time of year at Amazon’s newest warehouse in Britain. Black boxes rattle along miles of conveyor belt, carrying everything from toys to painkillers amid a cacophony of alarms and the faint hum of Christmas songs.
The vast site is a stark reminder of Amazon’s might. As well as upending consumer habits and standing accused of gaining an unfair advantage by paying too little in tax and hollowing out high streets, the company is creating huge distortions in the jobs market. The new depot has created its own gravitational force sucking staff away from other businesses such as care homes.
The latest outpost of Jeff Bezos’s empire also illustrates the shifting economic sands in the western world. In July, the nearby Honda car factory closed – a decision blamed partly on Brexit – with the loss of about 3,000 direct jobs plus thousands more in the supply chain, many of which were high-paying, skilled roles.
© Graeme Robertson / Guardian / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
© Guardian / eyevine. All Rights Reserved. -
DUKAS_132439718_EYE
When Amazon came to town: Swindon feels strain as new depot sucks up jobs. Firm has hired 2,000 staff in a matter of months in Wiltshire town, with ripple effect on other businesses.
When Amazon came to town: Amazon's automated warehouse in Swindon, UK. Swindon feels strain as new depot sucks up jobs. Firm has hired 2,000 staff in a matter of months in Wiltshire town, with ripple effect on other businesses.
Amazon advertises new roles as ‘a job for life, not just for Christmas’.
On an industrial estate outside Swindon, it’s the busiest time of year at Amazon’s newest warehouse in Britain. Black boxes rattle along miles of conveyor belt, carrying everything from toys to painkillers amid a cacophony of alarms and the faint hum of Christmas songs.
The vast site is a stark reminder of Amazon’s might. As well as upending consumer habits and standing accused of gaining an unfair advantage by paying too little in tax and hollowing out high streets, the company is creating huge distortions in the jobs market. The new depot has created its own gravitational force sucking staff away from other businesses such as care homes.
The latest outpost of Jeff Bezos’s empire also illustrates the shifting economic sands in the western world. In July, the nearby Honda car factory closed – a decision blamed partly on Brexit – with the loss of about 3,000 direct jobs plus thousands more in the supply chain, many of which were high-paying, skilled roles.
© Graeme Robertson / Guardian / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
© Guardian / eyevine. All Rights Reserved. -
DUKAS_132439775_EYE
When Amazon came to town: Swindon feels strain as new depot sucks up jobs. Firm has hired 2,000 staff in a matter of months in Wiltshire town, with ripple effect on other businesses.
When Amazon came to town: Amazon's automated warehouse in Swindon, UK. Swindon feels strain as new depot sucks up jobs. Firm has hired 2,000 staff in a matter of months in Wiltshire town, with ripple effect on other businesses.
Amazon advertises new roles as ‘a job for life, not just for Christmas’.
On an industrial estate outside Swindon, it’s the busiest time of year at Amazon’s newest warehouse in Britain. Black boxes rattle along miles of conveyor belt, carrying everything from toys to painkillers amid a cacophony of alarms and the faint hum of Christmas songs.
The vast site is a stark reminder of Amazon’s might. As well as upending consumer habits and standing accused of gaining an unfair advantage by paying too little in tax and hollowing out high streets, the company is creating huge distortions in the jobs market. The new depot has created its own gravitational force sucking staff away from other businesses such as care homes.
The latest outpost of Jeff Bezos’s empire also illustrates the shifting economic sands in the western world. In July, the nearby Honda car factory closed – a decision blamed partly on Brexit – with the loss of about 3,000 direct jobs plus thousands more in the supply chain, many of which were high-paying, skilled roles.
© Graeme Robertson / Guardian / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
© Guardian / eyevine. All Rights Reserved. -
DUKAS_132439716_EYE
When Amazon came to town: Swindon feels strain as new depot sucks up jobs. Firm has hired 2,000 staff in a matter of months in Wiltshire town, with ripple effect on other businesses.
When Amazon came to town: Amazon's automated warehouse in Swindon, UK. Swindon feels strain as new depot sucks up jobs. Firm has hired 2,000 staff in a matter of months in Wiltshire town, with ripple effect on other businesses.
Amazon advertises new roles as ‘a job for life, not just for Christmas’.
On an industrial estate outside Swindon, it’s the busiest time of year at Amazon’s newest warehouse in Britain. Black boxes rattle along miles of conveyor belt, carrying everything from toys to painkillers amid a cacophony of alarms and the faint hum of Christmas songs.
The vast site is a stark reminder of Amazon’s might. As well as upending consumer habits and standing accused of gaining an unfair advantage by paying too little in tax and hollowing out high streets, the company is creating huge distortions in the jobs market. The new depot has created its own gravitational force sucking staff away from other businesses such as care homes.
The latest outpost of Jeff Bezos’s empire also illustrates the shifting economic sands in the western world. In July, the nearby Honda car factory closed – a decision blamed partly on Brexit – with the loss of about 3,000 direct jobs plus thousands more in the supply chain, many of which were high-paying, skilled roles.
© Graeme Robertson / Guardian / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
© Guardian / eyevine. All Rights Reserved. -
DUKAS_124343954_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Robotics engineer Dan Rowe sits beside the remote used to control Small Robot Company’s weed-zapping robot, Dick. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
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(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
© Guardian / eyevine. All Rights Reserved. -
DUKAS_124343959_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
A display screen on Small Robot Company’s crop monitoring and mapping robot, Tom V3. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
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(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
© Guardian / eyevine. All Rights Reserved. -
DUKAS_124343957_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company head of prototyping Andy Hall. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
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(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
© Guardian / eyevine. All Rights Reserved. -
DUKAS_124343988_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company’s weed-zapping robot, Dick. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
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(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
© Guardian / eyevine. All Rights Reserved. -
DUKAS_124343960_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company’s crop monitoring and mapping robot, Tom V3. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
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(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
© Guardian / eyevine. All Rights Reserved. -
DUKAS_124343942_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company CEO and co-founder Ben Scott-Robinson stands beside crop monitoring and mapping robot, Tom V3. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
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(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
© Guardian / eyevine. All Rights Reserved. -
DUKAS_124343939_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company robotics engineer Dan Rowe stands beside weed-zapping robot, Dick. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
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(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
© Guardian / eyevine. All Rights Reserved. -
DUKAS_124343941_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
A laptop used by Small Robot Company robotics engineers sits on top of crop monitoring and mapping robot, Tom V3. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
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(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
© Guardian / eyevine. All Rights Reserved. -
DUKAS_124343956_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company robotics engineer Saul Armendariz stands beside crop monitoring and mapping robot, Tom V3. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
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(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
© Guardian / eyevine. All Rights Reserved. -
DUKAS_124343936_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company’s weed-zapping robot, Dick. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
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DUKAS_124343938_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company’s crop monitoring and mapping robot, Tom V3. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
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DUKAS_124343958_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company’s crop monitoring and mapping robot, Tom V3. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
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DUKAS_124343953_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company’s crop monitoring and mapping robot, Tom V3. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
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DUKAS_124343940_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company’s weed-zapping robot, Dick. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
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DUKAS_124343990_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company CEO and co-founder Ben Scott-Robinson stands beside crop monitoring and mapping robot, Tom V3. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
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DUKAS_124343937_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company’s crop monitoring and mapping robot Tom V3 (left) and weed-zapping robot, Dick. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
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DUKAS_124343989_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company’s weed-zapping robot, Dick demonstrates its autonomous non-chemical weeding. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
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DUKAS_124343934_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company head of prototyping Andy Hall stands in front of weed-zapping robot, Dick. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
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DUKAS_124343935_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company robotics engineer Saul Armendariz stands beside crop monitoring and mapping robot, Tom V3. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
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DUKAS_124343922_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company’s crop monitoring and mapping robot, Tom V3. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
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DUKAS_124343952_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company robotics engineer Dan Rowe. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
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DUKAS_124343921_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company’s weed-zapping robot, Dick. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
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DUKAS_124343987_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company’s crop monitoring and mapping robot, Tom V3. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
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DUKAS_124343928_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
Small Robot Company’s weed-zapping robot, Dick demonstrates its autonomous non-chemical weeding. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021. (FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
©PeterFlude -
DUKAS_124343930_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company’s crop monitoring and mapping robot, Tom V3. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
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DUKAS_124343950_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company’s crop monitoring and mapping robot, Tom V3. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
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DUKAS_124343933_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
A Small Robot Company robotics engineer controls the crop monitoring and mapping robot, Tom V3. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
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DUKAS_124343986_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company marketing executive James Burrows controls weed-zapping robot, Dick. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
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DUKAS_124343927_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company robotics engineer Dan Rowe stands beside weed-zapping robot, Dick. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
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DUKAS_124343932_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company CEO and co-founder Ben Scott-Robinson stands beside crop monitoring and mapping robot, Tom V3. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
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DUKAS_124343982_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company’s weed-zapping robot, Dick demonstrates its autonomous non-chemical weeding. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
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DUKAS_124343931_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company’s crop monitoring and mapping robot, Tom V3. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
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DUKAS_124343985_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company’s crop monitoring and mapping robot, Tom V3. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
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DUKAS_124343929_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Robotics engineer Dan Rowe works beside Small Robot Company’s crop monitoring and mapping robot, Tom V3. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
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DUKAS_124343983_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company’s crop monitoring and mapping robot, Tom V3. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
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(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
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DUKAS_124343984_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company CEO and co-founder Ben Scott-Robinson stands beside crop monitoring and mapping robot, Tom V3. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
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DUKAS_124343926_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Farm manager Craig Livingstone, who manages the Lockerley Estate in Hampshire, stands in front of Small Robot Company’s weed-zapping robot, Dick. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
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DUKAS_124343948_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company’s crop monitoring and mapping robot Tom V3 (left) and weed-zapping robot, Dick. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
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DUKAS_124343949_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company robotics engineers work beside weed-zapping robot, Dick, at Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
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DUKAS_124343946_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company’s weed-zapping robot, Dick demonstrates its autonomous non-chemical weeding. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
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DUKAS_124343981_EYE
Killer farm robot dispatches weeds with electric bolts. Makers say machine could be part of an agricultural revolution of automation and sustainability
In a sunny field in Hampshire, a killer robot is on the prowl. Once its artificial intelligence engine has locked on to its target, a black electrode descends and delivers an 8,000-volt blast. A crackle, a puff of smoke, and the target is dead – a weed, boiled alive from the inside.
It is part of a fourth agricultural revolution, its makers say, bringing automation and big data into farming to produce more while harming the environment less. Pressure to cut pesticide use and increasing resistance to the chemicals meant killing weeds was the top priority for the farmers advising the robot company. The killer robot, called Dick, is the world’s first to target individual weeds in arable crops and, on its first public demonstration, it is destroying broad-leaved weeds identified using pattern recognition. A scout robot, called Tom, has already scanned the field in detail and passed the data to an AI engine called Wilma to plot the targets. Dick’s onboard AI then ensures a bullseye hit. Dick is powered by batteries from a Tesla and will begin field trials in October. For safety, the robots have laser sensors to detect obstructions and shut down into a hibernation mode if they encounter something unexpected. They also have big red off buttons on their sides.
Small Robot Company head of prototyping Andy Hall. Manor Farm, Salisbury, UK. 21st April 2021.
© Peter Flude /Guardian / eyevine
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