Lessons to be learned in adoption of autonomous equipment for field crops

Autonomous equipment for crop production is on the verge of technical and economic feasibility, but government regulation may slow its adoption. Key regulatory issues include requirements for on-site human supervision, liability for autonomous machine error, and intellectual property in robotic learning. As an example of the impact of regulation on the economic benefits of autonomous crop equipment, analysis from the United Kingdom suggests that requiring 100% on-site human supervision almost wipes out the economic benefits of autonomous crop equipment for small and medium farms and increases the economies-of-scale advantage of larger farms.

Automated summary

Autonomous equipment for crop production is at the brink of technical and economic viability, but government regulations pose a potential hurdle to its adoption. Key regulatory issues include on-site human supervision requirements, liability for errors made by autonomous machines, and intellectual property concerns in robotic learning. In the United Kingdom, requiring 100% on-site human supervision could significantly diminish the economic benefits of autonomous crop equipment for small and medium farms, while strengthening the economies-of-scale advantage for larger farms.