Tag: automation

Future Farming | Driverless Tractors

Smartphones and tractors turning over new earth in self-drive fields

The place where one of 2022’s biggest AI innovations is being felt is… a farm? Yes, you read right: self-driving tractors are now a thing – and they’re set to be a very good thing for agriculture around the world, driven by both a labour shortage and a push to reduce the environmental footprint.

pull over, Tesla:  John Deere goes driverless

Automated cars conjure up images of Silicon Valley, Elon Musk’s broad smile, and the new tech elite – but this year, farmers are staking their claim on driverless cool.

John Deere – one of the world’s foremost agricultural equipment makers – has been tweaking its assisted driving technology for years. In 2022, it’s finally ready to let farmers release the wheel and leave the driving to AI.

  • The fully autonomous tractor combines John Deere’s existing GPS-assisted steering tech with machine learning features that let the vehicle drive itself.
  • Farmers will be able to “track the tractor” using their smartphones while it carries out ploughing and seeding tasks remotely.
  • The company will still include a human element in the functioning of the vehicle. Obstacles that the AI can’t detect will be shared remotely from the tractor’s camera with human support agents for verification.

After years of GPS tech development, John Deere seems to have found a way to engineer farmers out of the driver’s seat and free their time up for more productive farm management tasks.

fewer safety worries on a farm

Unlike driverless cars that pose a potential threat to fellow road users, autonomous tractors often operate on large commercial farms where the nearest vehicle is hundreds of meters away.

As a result, manufacturers are able to focus less on driverless lane changing and just-in-time braking, and focus their R&D efforts on building a tractor that ploughs straight with no hands on the wheel.

going high tech on your farm? you need cloud storage!

Agriculture is big business, and if your farm is investing in a more data-driven way of farming in 2022, you’ll want to consider a secure cloud storage solution to keep your data safe.

Contact us today to learn more about cloud storage and how it can benefit your business.

Do You Have a Fear of Automation?

Whether you’re a business owner, self-employed or part of the employee workforce, automation is not something to be scared of! If anything, automation of the future is being designed to streamline and help the workforce, not put you out of work.

Despite the fact that a recent multinational study revealed that 210 million jobs across 32 countries could be at risk, these numbers fail to show the real picture of the future of work.

Unpacking automation fears

There are several reasons why now is not the time to panic when it comes to industry automation. In fact, what businesses really should be doing is taking action – setting up their companies for a shifting landscape of work in a way that will ultimately protect valuable employees and business practices.

While several studies have been carried out on job safety with regards to automation, one such study shows that only 5% of jobs could be at risk of full automation in the near future. While many occupations may also be partially affected by automation, this could swing in favour of many employees on a global scale.

So what can be done to prepare and protect your business and your employees from future automation? Experts recommend these three critical steps:

1. Seek out adaptable employees

The working world is forever changing and adapting, and so should your criteria for selecting employees for your business. Now is the time to look further than education and past experience when choosing a prospective candidate. While these are still key considerations, employers must also look for ‘’soft skills’’ such as adaptability, cognitive and social intelligence, personality and an ability to work well under pressure. These key factors will indicate whether they will be able to thrive on your team and in a changing environment.

2. Learn to work with automation, not against it

Integrating automation into your business does not mean going from human-based function to 100% machine-based work. The cross-over will most likely be a little slower than that! However, there will need to be a mindset shift from managers and team members alike where automation is viewed as supplementation of work and not a replacement. Business will need to arm employees with the training and tools to successfully harness automation in the workplace and use it as a beneficial tool and not a hindrance.

3. Update employee training

This goes without saying as the successful integration of automation takes place throughout your business. A large part of marrying both human and machine-based work is providing the necessary skills and training to your employees in order to develop their technical, diagnostic and interpersonal skills. Addressing this skills gap early on will help to set your business up for future success when it comes to automation.

In reality, automation is not something to fear, shy away from or avoid as a business owner or employee. Embracing new technology and trends is set to be the way forward if you intend to keep your business afloat for years to come!

Is automation really putting SA jobs at risk? 

In South Africa, more than 5 million people are jobless. With that in mind, how do you really think and feel about automation becoming so prominent on a world-wide scale? While our country might not be ready for a robotic revolution, it can still benefit from it and such a revolution quite simply cannot be stopped. Continue reading Is automation really putting SA jobs at risk?