Where once workers would toil under the heavy heat, sleek, wheeled robots glide silently between rows of strawberry plants on Abdel Rahman Abdel Karim's farm in Egypt's Nile Delta. The mechanical arm rises and swivels, releasing a fine mist of chemicals with pinpoint accuracy onto the leaves below.
In 2023, when Abdel Karim was battling a severe infestation of powdery mildew and needed an immediate remedy, these robots became a lifeline.
"It was the first time we saw robots outside of the internet," he told TechCabal. "They sprayed pesticides quickly and with precision, something that would have taken human labor much longer and with less accuracy."
Each year, around the world, an average of 10 to 28 percent is lost to agricultural pests, driving a global reliance on herbicides and insecticides. These chemicals, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), are among the leading causes of fatal self-poisoning in low- and middle-income countries.
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