Original 2021 statement: There will soon be a lot of weed-zapping robots on farms, along with tiny robotic pollinating insects
What Jim has written about this
From “Daily Inspiration: “It’s time to move from triage to tomorrow!”” (January 2023)
There are a lot of things you will use in 10 years that have not yet been invented.
We’ll probably soon have little robotic micro-drones regularly tending crops in agriculture
Your self-driving car will ‘talk’ to a lot of the other self-driving cars around it in order to figure out where it is going and how to safely get there
From “Decoding Tomorrow: 30 Megatrends - #17 Micro-Autonomous Systems: “Individually small, collectively revolutionary. Micro-swarms are silently building the intelligent and automated world of tomorrow.”” (July 2025)
The proliferation of specialized tiny robots and drones for specific functions is creating swarm-based solutions to complex problems across industries, from agriculture to infrastructure maintenance to healthcare. Imagine a series of automated drones checking utility infrastructure for faults—that is the new world we are building right now.
From “Daily Inspiration: Robotic Technology - “Sometimes the future kicks you into tomorrow faster than you expected!”” (March 2025)
Essentially, four key trends are coming together all at once. First, there is a LOT of venture capital money flowing into the industry. With that, we are starting to see the typical cost reduction curve we see with any new technology. Third, there’s a lot of development with software and technology occurring out in the open-source community, and that type of collaboration always drives the future forward faster. Finally, one of the most fascinating trends has to do with the arrival of digital training tools - essentially, software that allows you to train your robot to do what you want it to do (such as the often-used example of washing the dishes.)
Enhanced capabilities Prototypes like NEO Gamma by 1X demonstrate the ability to walk naturally, pick up objects, and interact using body language and conversation. Cynlr, an Indian startup, has developed systems allowing robots to identify and pick up novel objects without prior training—a significant advance in generalized robotic intelligence. Agibot’s Yuanzheng A2 shows extraordinary precision in manipulation tasks, like threading needles, demonstrating that robots are beginning to match or exceed human precision for certain tasks.
That report offers a breathtaking view of the future - and I’m of the mindset this needs to be taken with a grain of salt. For example, if they are to wash the dishes, there are a lot of potential cost savings involved!
Read the full pieces on jimcarroll.com:
Daily Inspiration: “It’s time to move from triage to tomorrow!”
Decoding Tomorrow: 30 Megatrends - #17 Micro-Autonomous Systems: “Individually small, collectively revolutionary. Micro-swarms are silently building the intelligent and automated world of tomorrow.”
Daily Inspiration: Robotic Technology - “Sometimes the future kicks you into tomorrow faster than you expected!”