Researchers from the United States have presented an autonomous agricultural robot that destroys 100 thousand hectares.
“We wanted to find out if there is a quick way,which will improve agricultural performance, the researchers noted. - We immediately realized that this can be done with the help of powerful energy systems - lasers. It is a directed energy delivery method that can be used to kill weeds. We've added computer vision and deep learning technology to that, which allows us to determine in real time what needs to be destroyed and what is left behind. ”
The researchers also added that every yearit is becoming more and more difficult to kill weeds with the traditional method - herbicide-resistant varieties survive, forcing growers to release more and more powerful chemicals. This affects the health of farmers - chemicals like glyphosate cause cancer and paraquat cause Parkinson's disease. Chemicals also have a serious impact on soil health.
The new technology was assembled into a device thatweighs almost 4535 kilograms. It was equipped with 150-watt lasers, which are usually used for cutting metal; they can shoot 20 times per second. The device operates using 12 high-resolution cameras connected to artificial intelligence systems. They can separate beneficial plants from weeds.
Laserweeder controls itself withcomputer vision, finding furrows in fields, determining location using GPS and detecting obstacles using LIDAR. It moves at a speed of 8 km / h and can clear 60 thousand km in a day.
To move between fields or executecomplex actions, the device will require human intervention. Farmers can set up a geofence with GPS coordinates, beyond which the machine will not leave. The robot also works throughout the night - for this it uses powerful lamps that allow weed detection even at night.
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