4 Sources
[1]
AI robots fill in for weed killers and farm hands
Oblivious to the punishing midday heat, a wheeled robot powered by the sun and infused with artificial intelligence carefully combs a cotton field in California, plucking out weeds. As farms across the United States face a shortage of laborers and weeds grow resistant to herbicides, startup Aigen says its robotic solution -- named Element -- can save farmers money, help the environment and keep harmful chemicals out of food. "I really believe this is the biggest thing we can do to improve human health," co-founder and chief technology officer Richard Wurden told AFP, as robots made their way through crops at Bowles Farm in the town of Los Banos. "Everybody's eating food sprayed with chemicals." Wurden, a mechanical engineer who spent five years at Tesla, went to work on the robot after relatives who farm in Minnesota told him weeding was a costly bane. Weeds are becoming immune to herbicides, but a shortage of laborers often leaves chemicals as the only viable option, according to Wurden. "No farmer that we've ever talked to said 'I'm in love with chemicals'," added Aigen co-founder and chief executive Kenny Lee, whose background is in software. "They use it because it's a tool -- we're trying to create an alternative." Element the robot resembles a large table on wheels, solar panels on top. Metal arms equipped with small blades reach down to hoe between crop plants. "It actually mimics how humans work," Lee said as the temperature hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) under a cloudless sky. "When the sun goes down, it just powers down and goes to sleep; then in the morning it comes back up and starts going again." The robot's AI system takes in data from on-board cameras, allowing it to follow crop rows and identify weeds. "If you think this is a job that we want humans doing, just spend two hours in the field weeding," Wurden said. Aigen's vision is for workers who once toiled in the heat to be "upskilled" to monitor and troubleshoot robots. Along with the on-board AI, robots communicate wirelessly with small control centers, notifying handlers of mishaps. Future giant? Aigen has robots running in tomato, cotton, and sugar beet fields, and touts the technology's ability to weed without damaging the crops. Lee estimated that it takes about five robots to weed 160 acres (65 hectares) of farm. The robots made by the 25-person startup -- based in the city of Redmond, outside Seattle -- are priced at $50,000. The company is focused on winning over politically conservative farmers with a climate friendly option that relies on the sun instead of costly diesel fuel that powers heavy machinery. "Climate, the word, has become politicized but when you get really down to brass tacks farmers care about their land," Lee said. The technology caught the attention of Amazon Web Services (AWS), the e-commerce giant's cloud computing unit. Aigen was chosen for AWS's "Compute for Climate" fellowship program that provides AI tools, data center power, and technical help for startups tackling environmental woes. "Aigen is going to be one of the industry giants in the future," said AWS head of climate tech startups business development Lisbeth Kaufman.
[2]
AI robots fill in for weed killers and farm hands
Los Banos (United States) (AFP) - Oblivious to the punishing midday heat, a wheeled robot powered by the sun and infused with artificial intelligence carefully combs a cotton field in California, plucking out weeds. As farms across the United States face a shortage of laborers and weeds grow resistant to herbicides, startup Aigen says its robotic solution -- named Element -- can save farmers money, help the environment and keep harmful chemicals out of food. "I really believe this is the biggest thing we can do to improve human health," co-founder and chief technology officer Richard Wurden told AFP, as robots made their way through crops at Bowles Farm in the town of Los Banos. "Everybody's eating food sprayed with chemicals." Wurden, a mechanical engineer who spent five years at Tesla, went to work on the robot after relatives who farm in Minnesota told him weeding was a costly bane. Weeds are becoming immune to herbicides, but a shortage of laborers often leaves chemicals as the only viable option, according to Wurden. "No farmer that we've ever talked to said 'I'm in love with chemicals'," added Aigen co-founder and chief executive Kenny Lee, whose background is in software. "They use it because it's a tool -- we're trying to create an alternative." Element the robot resembles a large table on wheels, solar panels on top. Metal arms equipped with small blades reach down to hoe between crop plants. "It actually mimics how humans work," Lee said as the temperature hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) under a cloudless sky. "When the sun goes down, it just powers down and goes to sleep; then in the morning it comes back up and starts going again." The robot's AI system takes in data from on-board cameras, allowing it to follow crop rows and identify weeds. "If you think this is a job that we want humans doing, just spend two hours in the field weeding," Wurden said. Aigen's vision is for workers who once toiled in the heat to be "upskilled" to monitor and troubleshoot robots. Along with the on-board AI, robots communicate wirelessly with small control centers, notifying handlers of mishaps. Future giant? Aigen has robots running in tomato, cotton, and sugar beet fields, and touts the technology's ability to weed without damaging the crops. Lee estimated that it takes about five robots to weed 160 acres (65 hectares) of farm. The robots made by the 25-person startup -- based in the city of Redmond, outside Seattle -- are priced at $50,000. The company is focused on winning over politically conservative farmers with a climate friendly option that relies on the sun instead of costly diesel fuel that powers heavy machinery. "Climate, the word, has become politicized but when you get really down to brass tacks farmers care about their land," Lee said. The technology caught the attention of Amazon Web Services (AWS), the e-commerce giant's cloud computing unit. Aigen was chosen for AWS's "Compute for Climate" fellowship program that provides AI tools, data center power, and technical help for startups tackling environmental woes. "Aigen is going to be one of the industry giants in the future," said AWS head of climate tech startups business development Lisbeth Kaufman. "I think about Ford and the Model T, or Edison and the light bulb -- that's Kenny and Rich and Aigen."
[3]
AI robots fill in for weed killers and farm hands
LOS BANOS: Oblivious to the punishing midday heat, a wheeled robot powered by the sun and infused with artificial intelligence carefully combs a cotton field in California, plucking out weeds. As farms across the United States face a shortage of laborers and weeds grow resistant to herbicides, startup Aigen says its robotic solution -- named Element -- can save farmers money, help the environment and keep harmful chemicals out of food. "I really believe this is the biggest thing we can do to improve human health," co-founder and chief technology officer Richard Wurden told AFP, as robots made their way through crops at Bowles Farm in the town of Los Banos. "Everybody's eating food sprayed with chemicals." Wurden, a mechanical engineer who spent five years at Tesla, went to work on the robot after relatives who farm in Minnesota told him weeding was a costly bane. Weeds are becoming immune to herbicides, but a shortage of laborers often leaves chemicals as the only viable option, according to Wurden. "No farmer that we've ever talked to said 'I'm in love with chemicals'," added Aigen co-founder and chief executive Kenny Lee, whose background is in software. "They use it because it's a tool -- we're trying to create an alternative." Element the robot resembles a large table on wheels, solar panels on top. Metal arms equipped with small blades reach down to hoe between crop plants. "It actually mimics how humans work," Lee said as the temperature hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) under a cloudless sky. "When the sun goes down, it just powers down and goes to sleep; then in the morning it comes back up and starts going again." The robot's AI system takes in data from on-board cameras, allowing it to follow crop rows and identify weeds. "If you think this is a job that we want humans doing, just spend two hours in the field weeding," Wurden said. Aigen's vision is for workers who once toiled in the heat to be "upskilled" to monitor and troubleshoot robots. Along with the on-board AI, robots communicate wirelessly with small control centers, notifying handlers of mishaps. Future giant? Aigen has robots running in tomato, cotton, and sugar beet fields, and touts the technology's ability to weed without damaging the crops. Lee estimated that it takes about five robots to weed 160 acres (65 hectares) of farm. The robots made by the 25-person startup -- based in the city of Redmond, outside Seattle -- are priced at $50,000. The company is focused on winning over politically conservative farmers with a climate friendly option that relies on the sun instead of costly diesel fuel that powers heavy machinery. "Climate, the word, has become politicized but when you get really down to brass tacks farmers care about their land," Lee said. The technology caught the attention of Amazon Web Services (AWS), the e-commerce giant's cloud computing unit. Aigen was chosen for AWS's "Compute for Climate" fellowship program that provides AI tools, data center power, and technical help for startups tackling environmental woes. "Aigen is going to be one of the industry giants in the future," said AWS head of climate tech startups business development Lisbeth Kaufman. "I think about Ford and the Model T, or Edison and the light bulb -- that's Kenny and Rich and Aigen."
[4]
AI robots fill in for weed killers and farm hands
Oblivious to the punishing midday heat, a wheeled robot powered by the sun and infused with artificial intelligence carefully combs a cotton field in California, plucking out weeds. As farms across the United States face a shortage of laborers and weeds grow resistant to herbicides, startup Aigen says its robotic solution -- named Element -- can save farmers money, help the environment and keep harmful chemicals out of food. "I really believe this is the biggest thing we can do to improve human health," co-founder and chief technology officer Richard Wurden said as robots made their way through crops at Bowles Farm in the town of Los Banos.
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Aigen, a startup, introduces Element, an AI-powered solar robot designed to weed crops efficiently. This innovation addresses labor shortages and herbicide resistance in U.S. farms while promoting environmentally friendly farming practices.
In a groundbreaking development for the agricultural sector, startup Aigen has introduced Element, an AI-powered solar robot designed to revolutionize weed control in farms across the United States. This innovative technology comes at a crucial time when farms are grappling with labor shortages and increasing herbicide resistance among weeds 1.
Source: Tech Xplore
Element, resembling a large table on wheels with solar panels on top, utilizes artificial intelligence to navigate crop rows and identify weeds. Equipped with metal arms and small blades, the robot efficiently removes weeds without damaging crops. The solar-powered design allows Element to work autonomously, powering down at night and resuming operations in the morning 2.
Richard Wurden, Aigen's co-founder and chief technology officer, emphasizes the potential impact of this technology: "I really believe this is the biggest thing we can do to improve human health. Everybody's eating food sprayed with chemicals" 3.
Source: The Japan Times
The development of Element was inspired by the growing challenges faced by farmers. Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides, while labor shortages often leave chemical treatments as the only viable option. Aigen's solution aims to provide an alternative that is both effective and environmentally friendly 4.
Kenny Lee, Aigen's co-founder and CEO, notes, "No farmer that we've ever talked to said 'I'm in love with chemicals'. They use it because it's a tool -- we're trying to create an alternative" 1.
Aigen estimates that five robots can effectively weed 160 acres (65 hectares) of farmland. Priced at $50,000 each, these robots offer a cost-effective solution for farmers while promoting sustainable practices. The company is particularly focused on appealing to politically conservative farmers by offering a climate-friendly option that relies on solar power instead of diesel fuel 2.
Source: Economic Times
The potential of Aigen's technology has not gone unnoticed in the tech industry. Amazon Web Services (AWS) has selected Aigen for its "Compute for Climate" fellowship program, providing AI tools, data center power, and technical assistance to support the startup's growth 3.
Lisbeth Kaufman, AWS head of climate tech startups business development, expressed high hopes for Aigen's future: "Aigen is going to be one of the industry giants in the future. I think about Ford and the Model T, or Edison and the light bulb -- that's Kenny and Rich and Aigen" 2.
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