Innovations in Robotics and AI technologies are about to dramatically transform farming in North America. That was the key message at the first-ever Canadian Robotics & AI Summit held at Western Fair District in London. The event attracted industry leaders, producers and innovators. Among the latter was Mike Giannikouris, the co-creator of the Kitchener, Ont. Finite Robotics. It unveiled a first-of-its-kind apple thinner at the event. It is designed to work independently in an orchard with its AI-trained eyes identifying preferred crops. “You don’t want to remove big fruit leaves, small fruit, depending on what you’re growing. So, this robot goes in and does that thinning,” explained Giannikouris. Meanwhile, not far away from the Finite display, a Bothwell company was promoting a long line of autonomous and AI-infused products. They include everything from large farm vehicles to products designed to act as a robotic farmhand. “You want to send it to the barn, and have it come back to you, it can,” explained Jeff Pettit of Haggerty AgRobotics. “It’s eliminating the need to have somebody driving back-and-forth on the farm.” With labour shortages in the field, innovators maintain that Agrobotics offers solutions and financial savings. But could it also replace sought-after farm jobs? ”Robotics isn’t about replacing people, it’s about helping farmers work more efficiently, more productively, using tools,” said Ashley Casselman, an event organizer. Petit agreed, “So a lot of the time we actually don’t see the labour going away. It’s more or less for allocating it to different needs. You know, in the operation, making it more seamless.” Still, one of the biggest hurdles facing innovators and agriculture producers alike is the cost of the technology. The upfront outlay can be extreme. But some firms have come up with solutions. They include grants, rebates, and free training. Another way, according to Giannikouris, is subscriptions for service. “So, in order to make it easier for growers to adopt, we basically come in at the same price that they would be currently paying for conventional thinning methods.” And in turn, he believes consumers will benefit at the grocery store. “The idea here is to bring the cost of fresh food down to a point where it can compete with more manufactured foods, right? And to be healthier at the same time.”
