Scientists from Washington State University and an Australian technological university have partnered to form a joint center to speed the advancement of automation in agriculture.

The collaboration will be called the Joint Center for Agricultural Robotics and work toward development of tools that help farmers produce more food with fewer resources.

The cooperation will bring together researchers from WSU’s Center for Precision and Automated Agricultural Systems and the University of Technology Sydney’s Center for Autonomous Systems, according to a WSU news release. The scientists from both centers have been exchanging ideas since 2015.

Together, they will work on innovations such as apple-picking robots, high-efficiency irrigation systems, drones and other advances in automation that aim to boost productivity, save labor, conserve natural resources and reduce dependence on chemicals.

To view the entire news release from Washington State University, click here.

—by Ross Courtney