By Cara Anderson
IG: @carajojo
Artificial Intelligence is nothing new, and while cultivation-aiding robots serve to increase production, they pose a threat to the livelihood of workers. Swiss company ecoRobotix has developed an AI robot that can identify crops and selectively weed out undesirable plants.
The robots’ artificial intelligence uses cameras to identify weeds, and two robotic arms to spray herbicide on the targeted nuisances. The technology is promising for farmers who focus on sustainability; the robots process utilizes 20 percent less herbicide than traditional methods of spraying entire crop fields. Plus, these weed-killing robots can run for 12 hours without an operator.
Bloom Automation’s bud trimmer robot.
EcoRobotix robots haven’t been tested on cannabis farms yet, but cannabis companies have been experimenting with robots on various stages from seed to sale. Bloom Automation developed a robot that can trim a pound of bud in one day. Automated sensor systems can track temperature, humidity, and light to keep large-scale grows running smoothly. Hardcar Security offers robots that can guard cannabis crops, and they hope to provide pepper-spraying robots in the future. Delivery companies like Eaze have been working on delivery drones, though California banned cannabis delivery drones in 2017. Even the Cannabist has replaced its team of writers with content-aggregating bots. The list goes on.
Featured photo via CNBC.
