Earlier this month, Walmart filed for several patents related to the agricultural use of drones. One of them is a “robot bee,” a drone capable of pollinating plants. It would collect pollen from one group of plants and apply it to another using sensors and cameras. The idea is both innovative and frightening, but one in keeping with the progress being made in nano-technology and AI.
Speculation is that Walmart is doing this to compete with Amazon, the owner of Whole Foods, and a company active in drone technology that sells a variety of agricultural drones on its website. These include pesticide spraying “octocopters” and camera drones for crop “inspection.”
Competing with the largest retailer in the world requires a large workforce of well-connected government lobbyists, and in this area Walmart doesn't disappoint. Its overlap list required a complete redesign to accommodate what are only their most prominent lobbyists. This giant venn includes only lobbyists who represented Walmart in 2017.
