Agricultural Intelligence

Hemendra Kumar is Training Robot Farmers to Help Protect Crops and Increase Food Production

February 27, 2026

Hemendra Kumar is kneeling in the grass positioned to the right of his "Robot Farmer" drone device. There is a second, much smaller drone sitting on a bright orange landing pad towards the front of the frame.

On a sunny morning in late summer, Precision Agriculture Specialist Hemendra Kumar strolled through an eastern Maryland farm field to test the skills of a new kind of farm worker. This one wasn’t outfitted with muck boots and Carhartts, but with propellers and multiple cameras.

Kumar's farm assistant is a drone.

Learn About Kumar's Robot Farmers