Leo Steenpoorte from Oosterland (Netherlands) cultivates a variety of horticultural crops in both greenhouses and the open field. Because the available human workforce is shrinking and because he believes that this is the future, he hired 'Oz the weeding robot'. This robot with green thumbs, developed by French Naïo technologies, can take over all sorts of repetitive tasks such as hoeing, weeding and sowing.
What's special about Oz, aside from its incredible cuteness, is the programmed degree of independence, which is again possible thanks to various sensors and cameras. In addition to being a reliable and inexhaustible employee who never needs a lunch break, its relatively low weight compared to a tractor is a big advantage. Oz won't stress or compact the soil as much as bigger and heavier farm equipment would.
Source: Omroep Zeeland video report
Source: Naïo Technologies
Click here for the full story in Dutch at Omroep Zeeland.