Farming has come a long way since the horse and plough, and Earth Rover is hoping to push the boundaries even further in a bid to make farms of the future more sustainable.

The AgTech startup has created a farming robot dubbed "CLAWS", or Concentrated Light Autonomous Weeding and Scouting, that combines artificial intelligence and robotics.

CEO James Miller said that the autonomous robot is designed for two main tasks: weeding and crop monitoring.

"It takes an individual photograph and assesses the crop beneath it, identifies the crop, protects that, and then identifies the weeds around it and says 'they're enemy, I'm targeting those'. And that all happens in a split second and starts shooting at the weeds," Miller told Reuters.

Weeding is done using a patented concentrated light technology, which is different from a laser, that targets and eliminates weeds without damaging surrounding crops or soil. This approach is not only effective but also sustainable, reducing greenhouse gas emissions that could be released from soil disturbance, added Miller.

"Our patented technology uses concentrated light, so the best way of describing it is a schoolboy with a magnifying glass. So it concentrates the light onto a small focal point on the meristem, the growing point of the weed, and delivers a small pulse of energy, which is enough to kill the weed," he said.

For crop monitoring, CLAWS has eight built-in cameras to identify individual plants and collect real-time crop data using AI computer vision. This information is then sent to Earth Rover's Farm Control and Intelligence System (FC&IS), allowing farmers to make timely decisions to optimize crop health and growth.

Running on battery and solar power, CLAWS operates autonomously in different terrains and weather conditions. Its lightweight design helps prevent soil compaction, a common issue with heavy farming equipment.

"It basically enables a different way of farming. It allows farmers to get into the field when other equipment cannot," added Miller.

Earth Rover has plans to deliver units to customers for testing in 2025, with commercial availability slated for 2026. The company aims to sell the product outright, but also offers a service model for those hesitant to fully adopt the technology.

"Spend the minimum amount of energy per hectare has to be the aim. And of course, with ever depleting labor resources, nobody really wants to go through a field weeding on a really wet, windy, cold day. So why not give it to a robot?" added Miller. - Report from Reuters