China's first all-weather intelligent laser weeding robot. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]

China's first all-weather intelligent laser weeding robot, jointly developed by HGTECH and the State Key Laboratory of Robotics and Systems of Harbin Institute of Technology, recently began field trials in Heihe, Northeast China's Heilongjiang province.

HGTECH is based in the East Lake High-tech Development Zone (also known as Optics Valley of China, or OVC), Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province.

This robot was developed as part of efforts to eliminate environmental pollution and land damage and will be able to operate 24 hours per day. It employs AI image classification and object detection technology based on deep learning, combined with local distributed edge computing technology. This enables the robot to quickly, efficiently, and identify and locate crops and weeds in the field while in motion and in real time. It then uses laser irradiation to dehydrate and kill the internal cells of the weed leaves.

Unlike traditional weeding methods, such as herbicide spraying and manual removal, this approach does not damage crops, pollute the soil, or require human labor. Additionally, it can operate reliably and stably in various lighting and weather conditions.

"The in-depth integration of AI and agriculture is playing a significant role in the modernization and sustainable development of agriculture," said a researcher involved in the robot project.