--- title: "Robot Dogs Patrolling Precious Crops as Food Crisis Deepens" description: "Agricultural giants are rolling out robotic dogs to patrol their acres of corn as global food insecurity rises." date: "2026-04-17" modified: "2026-04-17" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/robots-and-machines/robot-dog-food-crisis" categories: - "Robot Dogs" - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" --- # Robot Dogs Patrolling Precious Crops as Food Crisis Deepens ![A white quadruped security robot with black legs stands on green grass in front of a tall, dense cornfield. The robot has "DO NOT TOUCH" written on one leg and "SECURITY" on its side. The corn plants are tall with green leaves and tassels at the top. The scene is brightly lit by sunlight.]() *Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Asylon Robotics / Getty Images* Robot dogs are increasingly finding real life uses as guardians of sensitive sites like [AI data centers](), the [US-Mexico border](), and Donald Trump's [Mar-a-Lago resort](). In a dystopian turn, now they're also guarding valuable cash crops — at least in the US, where industrial agriculture companies like Bayer are deploying robodogs to watch over hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of raw corn. According to [industry publication the *Fence Post*](), Bayer is supplementing human security patrols around its 8,000 acre Hawaiian corn farm with robotic security dogs, supplied by the tech firm Asylon. The Asylon dogs are meant to guard the company's precious maize from vandals, wildfires, wild fauna, and other hazards around the clock. They do so with a payload of thermal cameras and electro-optical sensors, the kind used in [unmanned military drones](). Each robodog connects both to Bayer's Hawaii Security Operations Centre and Asylon's Robotic Security Operations Centre, meaning anyone trying to pull off a daring corn heist is going to have a hard time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l2QIIpeXSs While that may seem like overkill, *FenPo* reports Bayer's Hawaiian corn holdings represent 90 percent of the company's international feed corn exports. At an average cost of [$113.50 per acre](), that represents over $900,000 worth of corn investment alone, and likely millions on the international market (to say nothing of the [industrial corn system](), a major economic powerhouse in the US which generated [$123 billion]() in revenue in 2024 alone). While references to the Netflix sci-fi anthology "Black Mirror" are old hat at this point, we couldn't help but notice the new crop guardians are emerging at a time when a [global food crisis]() looms over the world. Trump's war on Iran has disrupted about one-third of the world's global fertilizer supply, leading farmers to warn of imminent [food price spikes]() in the coming months, in a world where [2.3 billion people]() are already said to face moderate to severe levels of food insecurity. In a [recent press briefing]() on the US-Iran war, Máximo Torero, chief economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States warned of the "systematic shock affecting agrifood systems globally." "Farmers are facing a dual cost shock: they have more expensive fertilizers alongside rising fuel costs affecting the entire agricultural value chain, including irrigation and transport," Torero said. While it remains to be seen how acute the consequences are — that will depend on [how long the war lasts]() — one thing is unequivocally clear: we are now living in a world where millions starve, while cash crops are patrolled by robot dogs. **More on robot dogs:** *[The US Army Is Testing Killer Robot Dogs With AI-Powered Rifles in the Middle East]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()