Crop scientists over the years have learned a great deal about how plants grow above the ground, but much less is known about roots and their soil interactions. To rectify that, worm-like, soil-swimming robots are being deployed to sense and record soil properties, water, the soil microbiome and how roots grow, says Cornell University.

A six-legged robot that can climb hills and plod its way across open deserts, collecting data in all kinds of weather, is helping a USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist and his colleagues better understand wind erosion, which is a threat to the western U.S. rangelands that beef producers depend on for grazing.