Weeds are one of the biggest problems facing farmers and other other agricultural professionals, taking up many man hours to remove, not to mention the difficulty in finding workers willing to do this aggravating job.
Some steps farmers take to prevent weeds include cultivating and rotating crops, and planting rows close together. This doesn’t eliminate all weeds however, so farmers still need a way to kill them.
A recent innovations report highlights a possible technology solution coming down the pike. In Sweden, an entrepreneurial farmer is piloting a robot named Lukas, which weeds fields with infrared cameras and a computer running specialized software.
Lukas can recognize the difference between crops and weeds and automatically discard the weeds, all without need for human hands. To do this Lukas uses an infrared camera and computerized image processing to read the rows and steer the robot’s wheels and weeding tool.
Experts in the agricultural industry believe this robot will soon be used to weed all crops grown in rows—including lettuce, cauliflower, carrots, and sugar beets, saving agricultural businesses millions of dollars in the long run.
There is a similar autonomous robot called the Hortibot in Denmark, which could be the first robotic weeder to make it to the U.S. Designed in 2007, the 3-foot-by-3-foot robot is self-propelled and uses a GPS system. On its last update, it could recognize 25 different kinds of weeds and eliminate them using its weed-removing attachments.
The idea is not that new. It was back in 2012 when researchers from the Laser Zentrum Hannover institute in Hannover, Germany first developed low-powered infrared lasers that could inhibit weed growth without harming neighboring plants. This was the first step in providing a technological alternative to expensive, hazardous and environmentally damaging chemicals.
Christian Marx, research fellow in the Department of Biosystems and Horticultural Engineering, notes the team achieved this by using sensors operating on an innovative computer algorithm that determines the plant species by measuring its contours as well as accurately aiming the laser at the weeds’ vulnerable growth centers.
While farmers are still waiting for these weed killers to hit the U.S. market, more and more companies are looking into how to make the pilot programs widespread and practical for everyday use.
technology, innovation, entrepreneurship, small business