FarmWise, a startup that aims to increase the efficiency of the farming industry, has developed autonomous weeding robots that use artificial intelligence to remove weeds without damaging crops, according to a report by MIT News.
The first robot, named Titan, is designed like a large tractor and makes use of a trailer instead of a driver's seat. It uses machine vision to differentiate between weeds and crops such as artichokes, leafy greens, cauliflower, and tomatoes, allowing it to snip weeds with sub-inch precision.
The company has deployed about 15 Titans on 30 large farms in California and Arizona, providing weeding services with the help of an iPad. Recently, FarmWise introduced a new robot named Vulcan, which is lighter and pulled by a tractor.
According to Sebastien Boyer, the co-founder of FarmWise, the farming industry needs to increase its efficiency due to the growing population and limited resources such as land and water. He believes that AI and data will play a significant role in achieving this goal.
How FarmWise Came to Be
Sebastien Boyer shared that he came to MIT in 2014 and pursued master's degrees in technology and policy, as well as electrical engineering and computer science over the next two years.
During his graduate work, he explored machine learning and machine vision techniques, which led him to think of ways to apply these technologies to environmental problems. He received a small amount of funding from MIT Sandbox to further develop his idea, which made him decide not to take a job.
After his graduation, he teamed up with Thomas Palomares, a fellow Frenchman, and Stanford University graduate. Together, they started going to farmers' markets, requesting small farmers to give them tours of their farms.
About one in three farmers welcomed their requests. They then asked for referrals to larger farmers and service providers in the industry.
Boyer revealed that they learned that agriculture was a significant contributor to the negative impact of human activities on the environment and had not been disrupted by software, cloud computing, AI, and robotics as other industries had.
This combination of factors excited them and motivated them to develop a solution that could drastically increase the efficiency of the farming industry.
They discovered that herbicides were losing their efficacy as weeds developed genetic resistance. The only alternative for farmers was to hire more workers, which was becoming increasingly difficult. Hence, this ultimately inspired the creation of FarmWise.
Titan and Vulcan Robots
The Titan and Vulcan robots are directed by operators using an iPad or touchscreen interface, respectively. The robots are powered by AI that directs hundreds of small blades to remove weeds around each crop.
The Vulcan is directly controlled from the tractor cab, where the operator has access to a touchscreen interface similar to those found in a Tesla car.
Boyer noted that the labor shortage in the US and worldwide is a serious problem, making weeding a challenging task. The Titan robot was designed to work alongside field workers, and with more than 15,000 commercial hours.
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