There is perhaps no task more miserable than pulling weeds. Like the legend of Sisyphus, who was cursed to push a rock uphill for eternity, only to see it roll back down, weeds are an endless enemy that just keep coming back.
Now, Carbon Robotics has developed an equally relentless ally, the third generation of an autonomous weeding robot that safely targets, identifies, and eliminates weeds.
Unlike other weeding technologies, the robots utilize high-power lasers to eradicate weeds through thermal energy, without disturbing the soil. The automated robots allow farmers to use less herbicides and reduce labor to remove unwanted plants while improving the reliability and predictability of costs, crop yield and more.
“AI and deep learning technology are creating efficiencies across a variety of industries and we’re excited to apply it to agriculture,” said Carbon Robotics CEO and Founder, Paul Mikesell. “Farmers, and others in the global food supply chain, are innovating now more than ever to keep the world fed. Our goal at Carbon Robotics is to create tools that address their most challenging problems, including weed management and elimination.”
Unlike tillage, the Carbon robots don’t disturb the soil microbiology, and eliminate the need for herbicides, making it far easier to adopt a regenerative approach to farming, leading to healthy crops, healthy soil, and higher yields. It is also a significant aid for farmers trying to achieve organic status, but at the same time, the system also lowers costs, particularly for labour and for crop inputs like herbicides and fertilizers.
A single robot will weed 15-20 acres per day and replace several deployments of hand weeding crews.