EnvironmentFarming Robot Kills 200,000 Weeds per Hour With Lasers

[Sunsettommy]

This could eliminate chemical based farming practices that would produce cleaner safer foods.

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The Mind Unleashed

Environment Farming Robot Kills 200,000 Weeds per Hour With Lasers

November 18, 2024

Excerpt:

The agricultural world is witnessing a remarkable transformation, driven by groundbreaking technology. Among the most fascinating innovations is a farming robot equipped with lasers that can destroy hundreds of thousands of weeds in mere hours. This high-tech solution is not just a marvel of engineering but a timely response to persistent challenges in farming, from labor shortages to the environmental impact of chemical herbicides.

By combining artificial intelligence with precision laser technology, companies like Carbon Robotics are reshaping the way farmers tackle one of agriculture’s most labor-intensive tasks. These futuristic machines offer a glimpse into the potential of sustainable farming, where innovation meets efficiency, paving the way for a healthier and more productive future for agriculture.

LINK

[PeteS in CA]

I'm sure the Enviro-Luddites are working on killing this technology. Maybe they'll call it irradiation ... maybe they'll claim the lasers are blinding some sort of endangered nematode ...

[Sunsettommy]

Ha ha ha, you never know for sure what crawls through the mind of a certified ecoloony maybe their secret worm food is the nematode......

[Donttread]

I'm sure the Enviro-Luddites are working on killing this technology. Maybe they'll call it irradiation ... maybe they'll claim the lasers are blinding some sort of endangered nematode ...

Probably just another nail in the coffin of the family farm. I'm doubting that they will be able to afford the tech and related repairs. 
Of course, the free market for those small farms was hijacked long ago. Middle men, government subsidies, etc. Big business and government working to keep small business "in it's place"

[Sunsettommy]

I'm sure the Enviro-Luddites are working on killing this technology. Maybe they'll call it irradiation ... maybe they'll claim the lasers are blinding some sort of endangered nematode ...

Probably just another nail in the coffin of the family farm. I'm doubting that they will be able to afford the tech and related repairs. 
Of course, the free market for those small farms was hijacked long ago. Middle men, government subsidies, etc. Big business and government working to keep small business "in it's place"

That is very true, have no idea what the cost would be but it sounds expensive unless a few family farms bands together to buy one.....

[Physics Hunter]

If it works, is reasonably reliable, and  does not hurt the crops it is meant to protect (decreasing yield...), it sounds like an interesting opportunity to start a rental/service business!

[PeteS in CA]

I'm sure the Enviro-Luddites are working on killing this technology. Maybe they'll call it irradiation ... maybe they'll claim the lasers are blinding some sort of endangered nematode ...

Probably just another nail in the coffin of the family farm. I'm doubting that they will be able to afford the tech and related repairs. 
Of course, the free market for those small farms was hijacked long ago. Middle men, government subsidies, etc. Big business and government working to keep small business "in it's place"

Go ahead and believe the, "The Family Farm Is Dead," narrative if you need it. The reality I've seen in my original home county is less simplistic. Extended families formed their own partnerships and corporations, so that the family farm became the extended family farm. In just that not very large county I could name at least four or five such family corporation farm operations.

Farm equipment being very expensive is not a new thing. As long ago as the 1960s and 1970s that point had been reached, and a mid-high five-figures combine being used by just one farm operation didn't make economic sense. The solution? Farmers who did own a combine rented out their combine to other farmers, plus their services as a driver. Expensive motor-driven sprinkler systems? Rain For Rent has been around since the 1940s. Expensive landplane and other land-leveling equipment, also for-hire services. If these rigs are expensive, they'll just become another for-hire service, and if they are more effective than pesticides, will probably pay for the cost via the benefits.

[Billy_Bob Patriot Master]

I have a sister in Indiana and the local CO-OP is near the college.  They had the privilege of being part of the study on one of these machines. It almost totally removed the use of herbicides. They still had bugs and needed pesticides. Not having to use herbicides allowed the plants to grow sturdier and increased yields. They also uptake nutrients better.

Sis told me they are looking at how this same tech can be used to kill bugs, much like a bug zapper. The major problem of using these things for bugs is they cannot stop breading like the pesticides do. (Probably why we have fertility problems in humans).

Definitely Tech to watch...