HAVE YOU heard the funny jokes about selling refrigerators to Eskimos?
How about that other joke about selling camels to Arabs?
Do not laugh now, but will it sound like a joke if foreigners will try to sell coconut products to Filipinos?
Again, do not laugh, but about 10 years ago, it would be funny if you tell stories about foreigners trying to sell rice to Filipinos. But look at what is happening now!
Ever since I was a brand coordinator at San Miguel Corporation many years ago, it has become my habit to read the packaging of any consumer product that I could get my hands on, to find out who makes it or who sells it, or where it is coming from.
Imagine my surprise when I found a can of imported coconut milk from Sri Lanka, already processed into condensed milk by mixing it with cane sugar! What is happening to our country?
Are we unable to can pure and simple coconut milk? Or mix it with cane sugar to produce condensed milk? How hard is it to do that?
What hurts the most is that both ingredients are bountiful in our country, and canning food is practically a cottage industry by now!
What have we done wrong, or what are we not doing right? Where have we failed, and which government agency could have prevented this slap on our faces?
Could it be the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)? Or the Department of Science and Technology (DOS)T? Or the Department of Agriculture (DA)?
Whichever it is, it is not too late to correct this missed opportunity! Who will act first, and what kind of help do they need from us?
USING ROBOTS FOR AGRICULTURE
Unknown to most of us, many teenagers have already built their own drones using microprocessors such as Arduino and Raspberry Pi.
Knowing that, it makes me wonder whether these kids could also build their own robots, considering that a robot is basically a drone, and vice versa, a drone is basically a robot.
When the term drone is mentioned, most people would probably think of flying drones, because that is the most popular application of this technology now.
However, as of now, there are many other variations of drones, such as walking drones and swimming drones, as in swimming under the water.
I also recall that some innovative students have already built solar-powered electric vehicles some years back.
Since in theory those vehicles might have already used robotics technology, then it would not be far-fetched to think that anyone with the right technical inclination could already build robots in one form or another.
Many robotics companies recently showcased their prototypes, and one popular model is that of a robot that looks like a dog and walks like a dog. Looking at that model, one would wonder if it is actually a drone with legs, or whether it is a robot that simply looks like a drone.
That said, why don’t we look into the idea of building drones and robots to replace farm tractors?/PN
