Researchers from Harper Adams University in the UK have partnered with startup Precision Decisions, in a successful trial to grow barley using autonomous farm machinery. This should be a shot in the arm for agricultural automation, which is looking for ways to improve its margins – and cater for rising global populations. The robotic tractors and harvesters were augmented by surveillance drones, in a project called the Hands Free Hectare (HFH) project – the first to achieve a barley without a single person stepping foot in the field itself. The crop is going to be used to make beer, and while still in early stages, the approach has great potential. Although the project was successful, after completing the harvest in…