In agriculture, where manual labor often meets its limitations, technology is stepping in to transform the industry. Meet Ekobot’s latest creation – the WEAI robot, a wheeled marvel designed to tackle one of the most tedious tasks in farming: weeding. As anyone who has tended to a garden knows, weeding is time-consuming and energy-draining.
Scale it up to a farm, and it becomes a logistical nightmare. Traditional herbicides, though efficient, pose potential threats to people, animals, and the environment. Ekobot’s solution? A four-wheeled, 1,322-pound robot equipped with metal fingers that autonomously recognizes and plucks weeds from the ground.
The Ekobot WEAI Powered by a rechargeable battery, the can operate for an impressive 10-12 hours a day on a single charge, covering approximately 24. 7 acres of farmland. Navigating with GPS RTK and equipped with safety sensors and vision systems, the robot ensures it doesn’t unintentionally collide with objects or people during its mission to rid fields of pesky weeds.
What sets this robot apart, however, is its AI-powered machine vision system, trained to identify weeds as it moves across the field, ensuring that it distinguishes between crops and weeds and only targets the latter and removes them. Ekobot claims that trials of its weed-plucking robot resulted in a 70 percent reduction in the use of herbicides for onion cultivation. The precision afforded by the weed recognition system prevents accidental damage to crops and even contributes to environmental sustainability, providing farmers with a much-deserved ease of burden while also addressing the urgent need for more sustainable farming practices.
The 5G onion phenomenon Two years ago, Ekobot partnered with Swedish telecom company Telia, integrating 5G mobile technology into the robot, reports . This leap in connectivity allowed the Ekobot WEAI to communicate remotely with a central server, sharing valuable learning data from any corner of a farm field, paving the way for what Telia humorously refers to as “5G onions. ” The , grown using Ekobot’s weeding method, have demonstrated an extended shelf life, contributing to a reduction in wastage.
Telia claimed that these onions are not only more sustainable but also boast enhanced taste in a press release. The efficient weeding process and reduced use of pesticides enable onion shoots to thrive, soaking up more sunlight and nutrients. This, in turn, makes the onions hardier and more flavorful.
Telia is now making a limited number of 5G onions available in its stores. This innovative approach is not limited to onions alone. Ekobot’s weeding technology will soon be applied to carrots and beets, expanding the scope of this marvel beyond Swedish borders.
Currently available in the Netherlands and soon to be introduced in Denmark and Norway, the company has ambitious plans for global expansion. Telia anticipates that by 2030, the Ekobot system will be accessible in “9 EU countries, the United Kingdom, and the United States. ” Ekobot might not be the first to release an autonomous weeding machine, with and being two other key players.
But it assures us of agriculture’s green and high-tech future. And for that, we can rejoice. .
From: interestingengineering
URL: https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/this-brilliant-robot-uses-ai-to-make-your-garden-weed-free
