What’s claimed to be the world’s most precise weed control system was on display at Lamma
Building on the success of the prototype LaserWeeder, with input from farmers and trade, LaserWeeder G2 brings sub-millimetre weed control. According to manufacturer Carbon Robotics, it is the only commercially available machine of its kind on the market.
The unit uses a combination of vision systems, artificial intelligence and robotics to eliminate weeds from a wide range of crops.
Cameras monitor the ground and identify each plant, using computer learning to differentiate between the crop and the weed in real time. Once the weed is identified, a 240w diode laser targets the growth point of the weed and uses thermal energy to kill.
The new LaserWeeder G2 is lighter than the launch model and is available in working widths from 2.7m up to 6.4m, made up of modules which contain two lasers, three high resolution camera, two graphic processing units and 20 high-intensity LED lights.
The largest model can cover around 1.21ha/hr, and the key benefit, according to the company, is the accuracy of the lasers, enabling it to destroy weeds both inter and intra-row, destroying up to seven weeds/sec even when they are growing millimetres away from the cash crop.
