Swiss Robotic Weed Control Market Outlook-Ken Research Overview: Agriculture is a continuously expanding sector which faces a well known restraint to productivity known as weed which leads to increase in agricultural costs, reduction in value of land and harboring of pests. A Swiss company has found an ingenious way to deal with the problem with the use of technology. The resulting product is both environments friendly and efficient. This product of artificial intelligence (AI) works on the principle of ‘see and spray’.
Evolution: The Swiss robot is a revolution in weed control techniques which in recent years have shifted from handpicking to chemical use. Weedicides are now common and are in popular use globally as they not only eliminate visible weed growth but also destroy the seeds of such weeds which may not be easily visible. The Swiss technology startup Ecorobotix relies on AI in taking the concept of weed removal to the next level and thus developed the autonomous robot weeder. This robot uses photovoltaic panels and is solar powered. It has GNSS navigation, a camera and artificial vision system to detect crop rows and identify weed. The robot also has multilink arms and a navigation system that helps it distinguish normal crops from weeds. Other companies are also exploring the field of technology in agriculture and are undertaking similar projects. Further developments include:• ‘scan and spray’ technology research being done by American company Blue River. • Franklin Robotics has developed Tertill. • Naio Technologies created Oz weeding robot.