Fowl Layoffs
In recent years, some rice farmers in Japan have revived a centuries-old tradition of using ducks as natural herbicides and pesticides for their fields.
The practice has also found success elsewhere around the world. Even so, the farmers’ web-footed friends might be getting some competition, according to the Daily Mail.
A Japanese engineer working for carmaker Nissan has developed a prototype robot that can imitate the paddy field ducks.
Named “Aigamo,” after the ducks of the same name, the robot is about the size of a Roomba vacuum cleaner and is equipped with two rotating rubber brushes on its underside, which oxygenate the water by stirring it up and prevent weeds from taking root.
The new robot uses Wi-Fi, solar power and GPS to navigate the fields.
At the moment, its creator isn’t planning on mass producing the mechanized “duck,” but he’s testing it out in the paddy fields of Yamagata Prefecture in northeastern Japan.
If the results are successful, the birds might face competition in the future, as their “jobs” will be taken by artificial intelligence.
Still, the locals might want to keep the real thing: the ducks aren’t the migratory kind and they make tasty meals when they fatten up.
Click here to see the replacement operating.
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