Agriculture

There are very few plants that can grow in sand, but farming in a desert is hard to imagine. Or is it? Scientists in the UAE are trying to make it happen. With their new method, growing crops in sand may become possible in the near future.

Robots can fly spaceships, but they still can’t pick strawberries as well as humans. Although it sounds simple, it has a huge impact on agriculture globally. Scientists have now developed a soft robotic hand that can pick fruit without damaging it.

Binghamton engineers have built a VR digital twin that lets you walk a greenhouse in real time via IoT sensors – offering new possibilities for elderly farmers, people with limited mobility, and the future of precision agriculture.

Kawasaki's Stockman is a purpose-built enduro motorcycle for use in agriculture and livestock farming. A special feature of the bike is its locking mechanism for the clutch lever, which allows the farmer to take their left hand off the handlebars.

Japanese agri-tech company Nextage has developed a mobile wasabi growing module that automates cultivation. The device reportedly allows anyone to grow their own crops without the limitations of geography or lack of experience.

Inspired by the humble old greenhouse, a futuristic self-contained food ecosystem offers us a glimpse at a how we might one day have "farm to table" on our apartment block rooftops or in space-poor urban areas. Think of it as a tiny house of produce.

A radically innovative design controls wheelspin on rough and slippery surfaces while driving all four wheels on all surfaces – and eliminating complex differential gearsets. Its first use will be in off-road heavy machinery.

Chemical engineers at the University of Sydney are using human-made lightning to produce ammonia – a key ingredient in fertilizers – from thin air and without the need for high temperatures or pressures.

To find the right mix of metals for their green ammonia catalyst, scientists turned to AI. The result was a breakthrough that makes their technique of producing ammonia from air and water more efficient and much more accessible.

As agriculture tries to clean up its act, the roar of the diesel engine is likely to become a thing of the past. But e-farmers don't want to their battery-powered beasts idling for hours charging. The ONOX tractor's modular hotswap approach could help.

Measuring tape is a neat material, in that it's rigid enough to hold its shape when extended, but flexible enough to give way under pressure. Scientists have taken advantage of that dual nature in a robo-gripper designed for handling fragile items.

In the latest bid to greenify ammonia production, researchers have built a portable device to cheaply produce ammonia wherever it's needed by simply using air at room temperature and standard atmospheric pressure.