this post was submitted on 29 Nov 2023
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Gadgets

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Gadget (noun): a small mechanical / electrical device or tool, especially an ingenious or novel one.

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[–] dartie@alien.top 2 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Guided by AI or just simply using a sophisticated program?

[–] ashashlondon@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago (4 children)

I guess it must be programmed to recognise what a weed looks like to be able to identify it against what isn’t. Is that AI? I have no idea. Seems like everything at the moment is AI.

[–] Original-Thought6889@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If it uses training and a model, and not just pre-defined parameters, then yes, it is a form of AI

[–] iCan20@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Even pre defined parameters can be identified and set using an AI model. In fact I believe this is more likely than installing the AI model on the weed plucking device.

So yes AI. No, not an active AI model thinking while weeding.

[–] druscarlet@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Most likely it is programmed to if the specific crop at all stages of development and eliminate everything else.

[–] weaselmaster@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Yeah, I say NOT AI.

I mean, pattern matching has been a thing for a long time, and getting more and more sophisticated, but slapping an AI label on a (albeit new and interesting) robot tractor seems unnecessary, and degrades the meaning of the term.

And don’t get me started on calling their crop ‘5G Onions’!

[–] CaptRon25@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Laser weeder's have been doing this for years. I don't think AI has anything to do with it other than a marketing buzz words

[–] UnicornJoe42@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

They most likely use image recognition. So there's a little NN there

Since a sophisticated program in that case would be considerably harder to implement than a machine learning approach (what people generally mean when talking about AI): very likely AI

[–] C_Madison@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

"AI is everything a computer is bad at. The moment a computer can do it it's no longer AI. That way there's never any progress in AI." .. really old adage in computer science.

[–] FilteringAccount123@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Guided by a fridge actually... everyone's been so fixated with AI that we haven't noticed how much smarter "smart" appliances have gotten.

My washer just did my taxes!

[–] _RADIANTSUN_@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Now make it work on saffron stigmas

[–] Madrisima@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Wow! Great question! That could significantly reduce the price.

[–] VikKarabin@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Is that a problem in life? Saffron too pricey? :) The whole fun of it is that it's pricey

[–] Murrlll@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

If spending money needlessly gives you a thrill would you like my Venmo account name?

[–] _RADIANTSUN_@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

More people would have access to more of it if more could be produced. And even at current prices, the producers who currently manually process it generally work thankless, fairly physically taxing and unrewarding jobs. There is clearly not enough value present for it to be produced manually at a fair price.

This process is obviously begging to be mechanized.

[–] OddBoysenberry1023@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

I wanna see this side by side with the laser one

[–] FriendsCallMeAsshole@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm pretty sure a version of this that just burns the weeds using lasers already exists. Having some contraption to rip out the weeds to me seems a lot more complicated and therefore expensive, with also more moving parts that likely need repair more often. Would ripping out the weeds offer that much more benefit over just burning them to justify that additional cost? I assume ripped out weeds would stay away longer, since the roots are removed or damaged, but I don't really know the economic impact of weeds on the harvest. Do we have any farmers in the room who could share some insight on this?

[–] _RADIANTSUN_@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Actually ripping them out is simpler and more effective. Plants contain quite a lot of water and lasers are really not very efficient and effective in that use case.

[–] Few_Distribution_905@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago (3 children)

When your only tool is an AI weed plucker, everything starts to look like a weed.

[–] Smartnership@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

RoboCop: The Weedening

[–] watduhdamhell@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

And so began the weed plucking rebellion of 2037...

[–] geekcop@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

What if people.. are the weeds of Earth?

-Skynet-weedbot072

[–] Regular_Ship2073@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Reddit will complain that it will take away jobs

[–] AlbanySteamedHams@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

And it’s going to be hacked and it’s going to make saffron less expensive and therefore less fun, and it’s going to rip your arms out, and it’s not really AI, and it should just use lasers. To list some other complaints I’ve seen on this thread. Fucking Reddit.

[–] BrianOconneR34@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

So how much for this or the good ol can of cancer juice weed killer? It would be great to have robots pulling weeds. Anything beats whatever is sprayed on what we eat.

[–] MuthaPlucka@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Fire up the lawsuit machine, Martha. It’s time to cash in.

[–] dustofdeath@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Does it also autoburn seeds not approved by Monsanto if you miss subscription payment?

[–] GrapefruitSpaceship@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

I could use this for my yard

[–] MarkleyMojo@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

If you beat the AI in a game, however, it might pluck your arms from their sockets.

[–] che-solo@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Round up lobbyists are running to the capital with bags of cash to stop this AI madness!

[–] Commercial_Tea_8185@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Coool!!! Next lets get one where steel fingerss replace all ceos ☺️☺️☺️✨

[–] _byetony_@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

And without herbicides 👍

[–] Guy-Manuel@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

This is great for reducing how much exploitative labor is needed for food production. The problem for the future is who controls it, and what happens to the people it displaces?

[–] VikKarabin@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

I bet it identifies weeds very well, and then plucks them very poorly.

[–] CaptRon25@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

AI has become a marketing buzz word. Farm field laser weeder's have been around for years. It uses lasers to zap and kill the weeds. No need for robotic arms clattering away to pick them, and nothing mechanical to wear out.

[–] Mathwins@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Now if we could only apply this to those pesky humans.

[–] shoe_of_bill@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Oh my god. Just because it's programmed to search for a certain thing within a certain spec does not mean it's AI. It's programmed to do a job and it does it.

[–] megalithicman@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

OK now make one that pulls up dandelions

[–] misogrumpy@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

What is the benefit of this compared to the weeder that uses a laser?

[–] ThatPearl@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

I thought the headline read “rapidly and anonymously” and I spun off a whole series called Revenge of the Weeds