A research project called Mineral has created robots that move around in farm fields. The project aims to use computers to help farmers grow more food in ways that are healthy for the environment.
With the number of people on earth getting bigger each year, more food needs to be grown in order to feed everyone. As weather patterns continue to change because of the climate crisis, this task is becoming even more difficult. Some experts say that to feed everyone, more food will need to be grown over the next 50 years than in the last 10,000 years. In the past, farmers tried to quickly increase the amount they produce, using methods that were not always healthy for the environment—more fields, fertilizers, and pesticides.
Instead, the focus of the Mineral project is on getting farms to produce more by improving conditions for each plant. Elliot Grant, who leads the project, says the goal is to “manage the plant instead of the plot.” Mineral’s team spent several years talking to farmers to see what problems they were having and how these problems might be fixed. That led to the creation of special robots, called “plant buggies (车)”.
At first, the buggies were very simple. They were built on bicycles and took pictures with cell phones. Over time, they’ve been improved repeatedly. The plant buggies roll on four wheels and are high enough to glide (滑行) over rows of plants without hurting them. They’re covered in solar panels and have strong wheels, which allows them to roll through muddy fields. The robots can take detailed pictures of plants, track each plant’s location, and measure the plant’s size.
Before, farmers had information about the soil and the weather, but they couldn’t track every plant. Now, with Mineral’s robots, they can. By collecting lots of information like this, Mineral believes computers can help farmers make predictions about how their plants will grow. Studying each individual plant could end up saving time and money.
12. What’s the Mineral project’s goal?
A.To replace farmers with robots. | B.To design and sell farming robots. |
C.To better handle environmental pollution. | D.To improve food production in a green way. |
13. What contributes to the need for more food?
A.The constant disasters. | B.People’s bigger appetite. |
C.The increasing population. | D.The development of industry. |
14. What does the underlined part “the plot” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A.A secret plan. | B.A piece of farmland. |
C.The mark on a map. | D.The series of events. |
15. What is special about plant buggies?
A.They can collect soil information. | B.They can make weather predictions. |
C.They can monitor each plant’s condition. | D.They can help fertilize and water the crops. |