Carbon Robotics' Weeding Robot Destroys Weeds With Lasers, Not Poison
An autonomous cultivator with laser technology is attracting many investors. Carbon Robotics recently announced that it raised $27 million in funding to help humanity fight weeds without the use of herbicides.
Weeds are a pest for gardens, but they have become an even greater pest for industrial food production. According to estimates, weeds cause a 10% crop loss, which amounts to about 200 million tons of crops per year. If left uncontrolled, weeds would destroy 100% of the harvest. Robots could help solve this problem.
“This investment once again confirms our mission to create tools that use technology to solve the most difficult problems farmers face. Weeding is one of the most serious challenges farmers face, especially given the growing number of herbicide-resistant weeds and increasing interest in organic and regenerative methods. This funding round will allow us to expand our operations to meet growing demand for this technology. In addition, this funding will allow our team to continue developing new products and identifying revolutionary ways to apply technology in agriculture”
The funding will accelerate the company's growth, including scaling production of the Autonomous Weeder, the only commercially available robot for destroying weeds with laser technology. The autonomous cultivator uses powerful lasers and computer vision to destroy 100,000 weeds per hour without disturbing the soil, reducing the need for traditional weeding methods such as chemicals, tilling or manual labor.
Carbon Robotics said: "Since its founding in 2018, the company has worked closely with farmers to develop its technology, which supports effective and efficient weed removal for both conventional and organic farmers. The robots have undergone beta testing on farms growing various crops, including broccoli and onions."
The company has already sold out its 2021 and 2022 models, and as a result of its latest funding round, total funding has reached $36 million.
“The already difficult task of weeding is becoming harder for farmers as more herbicide-resistant weeds emerge and the cost of herbicides rises. Carbon Robotics has created a revolutionary method for solving one of the biggest problems in agriculture. Until now, farmers have shown an innovative and resourceful approach to this problem. Nevertheless, they deserve better technology to help them perform one of the most important tasks in the world: getting food to people's tables”
Unlike controversial methods such as herbicides, which lead to the emergence of resistant weed species and can affect the food supply, Carbon focuses on precision. Thanks to artificial intelligence and laser technology, the company's device is an autonomous mobile robot powered by diesel hydraulics. In other words, this is not a garden toy. The system uses lidar for safe scanning to protect workers and equipment in the field.
The system stays within a geofence, but detects rows within the field and drives between them. The actual weed destruction is carried out by an array of 150-watt powerful CO2 lasers. Each laser uses cameras and other optical sensors to control aiming. The system relies on deep learning computer vision algorithms to identify weeds among crops, an extremely difficult task that Carbon appears to have accomplished.
“Carbon Robotics has unique capabilities to address critical problems affecting farmers, including the rise of superweeds and the shrinking available workforce”
There are currently 263 herbicide-resistant weed species across 71 countries. The need for a better weed control solution has led to strong demand, so Carbon has signed a number of contracts with large producers, which helped prove to investors that the business is economically viable.
The 2021 robots not only sold out, but farmers have already started using them actively. Judging by reviews, all of them are satisfied with their purchase.
“The potential of these new robots is the highest I have seen from any technology as a farmer. I expect the robots to become popular because of how effectively they address the most important agricultural issues, including overuse of chemicals, process efficiency and labor. These robots work with various crops, are autonomous and organic”
The company says the robots can work day and night in any weather conditions. It is a highly precise solution that improves yields and reduces the overall costs associated with modern agriculture.
