Japanese Robot Farm Company Going Big And Looking At New Vegetables - Polidicks

[quote]Companies like Spread are giving Japan’s agriculture industry a serious upgrade for the 21st century. Spread shot to fame for its highly automated, vertical farming units. The company is now looking at possibilities for widening its business, as well as possibly expanding into new kinds of produce. Vertical farming is undergoing a revolution with companies emerging across the world. They are in once case even moving straight into the supermarket’s vegetable section. What sets Spread apart from almost all other companies in the space is its level of automation. Its concept has been hailed as one of the world’s first true robot farms.[/quote] (...) [quote]The plant’s profitability is based around economy of scale and the use of technology. The plant will grow lettuce in a soil-less and sunless environment. Robots take care of much of the handling, LEDs deliver the necessary lighting and hydroponic technology delivers water.[/quote] source: [url]http://www.forbes.com/sites/prossermarc/2016/05/16/japanese-robot-farm-company-going-big-and-looking-at-new-vegetables[/url]

The title made me think that the robots were being farmed.

As cool as this technology is, I can't help but feel like everyday we are one step closer to a idiocracy like world.

[QUOTE=JimmyBowen;50416652]As cool as this technology is, I can't help but feel like everyday we are one step closer to a idiocracy like world.[/QUOTE] While yes, it does take the human factor out of farming in the classical sense, it still requires skilled workers to program the machines/robots, manufacture sensitive components for them, and provide oversight and QC. So I don't think human 'farmers' are going the way of the dodo quite yet, and for a country like Japan that's rapidly aging and urbanizing, it sounds like a great method of propping up their food supply.

[QUOTE=shad0w440;50416196]The title made me think that the robots were being farmed.[/QUOTE] That would be a pretty metal sci-fi concept, having machines grown like plants. That'd be a really interesting direction to take in terms of manufacturing.

[QUOTE=JimmyBowen;50416652]As cool as this technology is, I can't help but feel like everyday we are one step closer to a idiocracy like world.[/QUOTE] Once we see Gatorade get into farming then it's the time to worry

Can someone link a source that doesn't require you to turn adblock off to view it? I think that ought to be a requirement it's basically a paywall.

[QUOTE=Snoberry Tea;50417307]Can someone link a source that doesn't require you to turn adblock off to view it? I think that ought to be a requirement it's basically a paywall.[/QUOTE] I had no trouble loading the article with Ublock. It's not that big of a deal, just turn it off for a sec. I highly doubt Forbes is gonna be hosting virus laden video ads.

[QUOTE=ScriptKitt3h;50417077]While yes, it does take the human factor out of farming in the classical sense, it still requires skilled workers to program the machines/robots, manufacture sensitive components for them, and provide oversight and QC. So I don't think human 'farmers' are going the way of the dodo quite yet, and for a country like Japan that's rapidly aging and urbanizing, it sounds like a great method of propping up their food supply.[/QUOTE] Farming has generally been a small 1 man family job for a while too, maybe not in the case of huge production farms but certainly in more rural areas.

[QUOTE=zombini;50417343]I had no trouble loading the article with Ublock. It's not that big of a deal, just turn it off for a sec. I highly doubt Forbes is gonna be hosting virus laden video ads.[/QUOTE] Using Adblock+, it won't load with it active at all. Just gives me that "please disable adblock to view our site" stuff.

[QUOTE=JimmyBowen;50416652]As cool as this technology is, I can't help but feel like everyday we are one step closer to a idiocracy like world.[/QUOTE] Probably more likely people unable to find a job because unskilled labor will be replaced with robots.

[QUOTE=JimmyBowen;50416652]As cool as this technology is, I can't help but feel like everyday we are one step closer to a idiocracy like world.[/QUOTE] Yeah, because robot farms don't require any sort of advanced engineering, programming, or new infrastructure to support them. We must be getting dumber every day.

[QUOTE=ScriptKitt3h;50417077]While yes, it does take the human factor out of farming in the classical sense, it still requires skilled workers to program the machines/robots, manufacture sensitive components for them, and provide oversight and QC. So I don't think human 'farmers' are going the way of the dodo quite yet, and for a country like Japan that's rapidly aging and urbanizing, it sounds like a great method of propping up their food supply.[/QUOTE] And when it's done? And working? What then? Eat and enjoy, eat and enjoy :).

[QUOTE=JimmyBowen;50416652]As cool as this technology is, I can't help but feel like everyday we are one step closer to a idiocracy like world.[/QUOTE] we are "always getting closer" the more technology advances, and the moment it advances in a direction like this a new technology field or similar opens up furthering not only human progress but job and economics as well.

[QUOTE=zombini;50417343]I had no trouble loading the article with Ublock. It's not that big of a deal, just turn it off for a sec. I highly doubt Forbes is gonna be hosting virus laden video ads.[/QUOTE] Except exactly that has happened in the past?

hyper oats when?

[QUOTE=Fourier;50433165]And when it's done? And working? What then? Eat and enjoy, eat and enjoy :).[/QUOTE] If I had the chance to do only sambo, lean russian and german all day and go to the shooting range and not have to pay a cent.... Fuck yeah Give that over anything