Advanced farm robots which utilise high-powered lasers to eradicate weeds through thermal energy - without disturbing the soil - have been unveiled.
Carbon Robotics, an autonomous robotics company based in the US, recently announced its third-generation autonomous weed elimination robots.
The robots leverage artificial intelligence and laser technology to drive through crop fields to identify, target and eliminate weeds.
Unlike other weeding technologies, the automated robots use lasers via thermal energy, without disturbing the soil.
These high-power lasers can eliminate more than 100,000 weeds per hour.
According to Carbon Robotics, the robots allow farmers to use less herbicides and reduce labour to remove unwanted plants.
“AI and deep learning technology are creating efficiencies across a variety of industries and we’re excited to apply it to agriculture,” said CEO 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.”
Carbon Robotics' technology is designed for row crops with 200 acres to tens of thousands of acres.
A single robot will weed 15-20 acres per day and replace several deployments of hand weeding crews.
The robots have undergone beta testing on specialty crops farms, working on fields with a variety of crops, including broccoli and onions.
The firm's 2021 models have already sold out, but new models for the 2022 growing season are available for pre-order.
