No spray. Just a laser.
What if weeds could be removed without spraying chemical herbicides across the field?
This laser weeding robot from China’s HGTECH uses cameras and AI to distinguish crops from weeds, then targets unwanted plants with lasers. The company says its larger H16 model can remove more than 95% of weeds, while keeping crop damage below 0.1%. With a working width of up to 4.6 metres, it can target around 570,000 weeds an hour under maximum operating conditions.
The biggest difference is what it doesn’t use: chemical herbicides for weeding. Instead of spraying an entire field, the machine targets individual weeds. That could reduce chemical use and residues, while also cutting some of the time and labour involved in manual weeding. HGTECH says the machines can also operate around the clock under suitable field conditions.
And this is no longer just a prototype in a showroom.
This year, HGTECH’s laser weeders have been put to work in China, including in organic soybean fields and at a green-bean farm near Harbin, where one machine completed around 11 hectares (28 acres) of weeding. The technology has also been tested on soybean and corn, with reported cumulative application exceeding 67 hectares (165 acres) by July.
The technology is also beginning to move overseas. In July, HGTECH shipped an H8 laser weeder to Australia, although overseas deployment is still at an early stage.
It will be worth watching whether technologies like this can become practical and affordable for wider farm use.
