Additional information

The WeedElect robotic system uses the drone (UAV) to make a rough mapping of emerging weeds by classifying the signals provided by the UAV hyperspectral sensors. These maps are sent to the robot which uses them to plan the weeding tasks. The robot uses RVB camera sensors which send information to an Artificial Intellingence system that identifies the weeds and discriminates them from the crop. Once the weeds are identified they are eliminated with the electric weeder mounted on the arm of the robot. The robot is powered with solar panels allowing weeding operation on day time but also during night, owing to the energy stored in on-board batteries. First lab and field tests show that the system is able to identify and eliminate up to 80% of the weeds in a crop (depending on weeds age and species), saving farmers time and avoiding the impact of using agrochemicals for weed control.