AI robots tackle weeds without chemicals • FRANCE 24 English

[Music] For six generations, there’s been weed killing to do on the cotton fields of BS farm in the heat of California’s central valley. This season, it’s robots getting their hands dirty without even breaking a sweat. So, we’re combining the new robotics and AI with um the old technology of a stick and a blade, putting it together, and then delivering a solution to the farmers. The solarp powered bot called Element makes its way through cotton, tomato, and sugar beet fields, identifying weeds using cameras and artificial intelligence before striking them with mechanical hose. Startupen hopes to win over farmers facing a shortage of manpower and weeds which are increasingly resistant to herbicide.
Instead of saying, “Hey, we’re going to ban these chemicals.” What we want to do is provide an alternative that’s lower cost than the existing solution. So it ends up not becoming a political issue if you can just say we have a better solution that’s more affordable to weed60 acres. They reckon it takes about five of these machines which cost $50,000 each. A significant upfront cost compared to say spraying a field with herbicide. But recent innovations in AI and batteries are making robots like this cheaper. EN faces stiff competition from other farm tech startups, some of which use lasers to destroy weeds. With backing from tech giants Amazon, they’re hoping to stand

A grassroots solution may be taking root in California, where a startup is developing weed-killing robots that could offer an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional chemical herbicides. The technology holds promise for protecting the environment and keeping harmful substances out of our food — but is it too good to be true? Peter O’Brien investigates.
#AI #robots #chemicals

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20 comments

  3. This is one application where I'm in favor of AI. There isn't exactly a deluge of people wanting to work in agriculture.

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