A U.S. startup has developed a solar-powered robot that uses artificial intelligence to identify and remove weeds from farm fields without spraying herbicides.
Called Element Gen 2 X4, the robot was developed by Aigen, based in Redmond, Washington. It uses cameras and AI to distinguish weeds from crops, then uses four mechanical arms to pull unwanted plants out of the soil.
Instead of spraying chemicals, the robot physically removes weeds using its mechanical arms. It is designed to work both between crop rows and among crops growing within the same row.
The robot runs on solar power with a battery backup. Aigen says it has built more than 100 robots across multiple generations and recorded over 15,000 hours of autonomous field operation.
Key Features of the Robot
• AI & Vision: It uses onboard cameras and vision AI powered by hardware like NVIDIA to tell crops and weeds apart.
• Synthetic Training Data: Aigen uses an AI-generated digital plant and weed database called Alchemy to quickly train its robots on different crops.
• Mechanical Removal: Instead of spraying chemicals or diesel fuel, the robot uses four metal mechanical arms to pluck or pull weeds directly out of the soil.
• Power Source: It runs completely on solar energy with a battery backup system.
• Field Design: It is built like a high-clearance drafting table on wheels, allowing it to roll across farm rows both between and within crop rows.
The technology could help farmers reduce herbicide use, especially in fields where weeds have become resistant to certain chemicals.
