Farming seems to present a perfect challenge for unmanned systems: The work is sometimes dull, often dirty and occasionally dangerous. Not only is the vast area of land a concern, but different crops have respectively different planting, watering, fertilization and pest control needs. The automated pivot was an early solution to some of these challenges. With some pivots stretching as long as half a mile, the spindly equipment can prevent water waste using controls that determine the amount, speed and flow of water. Steve Hodges, president of M2M Communications, a company that develops intelligence and remote control systems for pivots, notes their flexibility: "You can control speeds, directions and amounts from cell phones or other locations." Farmers simply log on the Internet and use interfaces designed for computers and mobile phones.
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