Hi-Tech Weed-Killer

Makarand writes "Instead of making improvements to automatic mechanical weeders, Engineers at UC Davis have been busy developing the next generation robotic weeder which will use computerized images of crop rows to identify weeds and zap them. The system can identify weeds from the regular crop by assessing shape, color, size and other variables from the captured images of the crop row. A robotic cultivator will then blast weeds with a weedkiller using syringes mounted on a tractor. A GPS allows the system to calculate weed type densities within the field and the amounts of chemicals dispensed in the area."

Comments

mexicans are cheaper

[asscroft]

and if not US citizens you don't have to worry about that health care problem or is it the other way around? I can never remember who gets better health care, I guess it probably depends on who I'm talking with. of course I don't think even migrant farm workers spray one weed at a time. Usually they're working the fields while some airplane flys overhead and crop dust them with toxic chemicals. (yes it still happens) I should probably link to cesar chavez here http://www.sfsu.edu/~cecipp/cesar_chavez/chavezhom e.htm p.s. why is it i feel guilty calling mexicans mexicans and i never feel guilty calling canadians canadians? hmm, I wonder what Richard Rodriguez would say on the matter - here it is: "The interesting thing about Hispanics, of course, is that you can travel all over Latin America and never meet one. There are no Hispanics in Latin America. There are Bolivians, Chileans and Mexicans. You have to come to Miami or Sacramento to meet a Hispanic. There is a large controversy among us as to whether we are Latinos or Hispanics. Hispanics are nothing if not people preoccupied by fathers and ceremony, and we worry a great deal about which is the right word for us. The argument against Hispanic is that it gives too much of our identity to Spain." in my case I'm actually referring to people from mexico, so mexican is appropriate. there I feel better now. Thanks Richard.