PONCHON SAS – Robot with laser kills weed

igu-award-adm | July 23, 2020

Our application is aimed at localised weed control in the fields. With the help of an artificial intelligence that allows us to locate weeds, we are developing a system that can burn these weeds with a laser beam in a precise manner. In order to ensure the positioning of our laser, we use three ius guide rails and three motors with an integrated controller. By sending the position commands via Can-Bus we can burn the targeted weed. The material manufactured is mounted on an autonomous robot capable of moving alone in the field.

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Problem:

The challenge for our delta arm is to be able to operate in complicated external conditions. We are subjected all day long to wind, rain and sun and we have to keep our equipment working at least 8 hours a day. We also have an economic stake in making robotic weeding accessible on a large scale. The solution based on guide rails and integrated motors allows us to offer a delta arm at affordable prices and resistant to outdoor events. The other advantage of the delta arm is that it can work at interesting rates of two to three actions per second, thus minimising weeding time. In this way, with three rails with a 900mm stroke, we can weed 1.20m wide crop beds.

Solution:

The use of our technology allows organic farmers to significantly reduce their weeding costs. Today, no solution other than chemical solutions can achieve weeding costs below €1000/ha. Our solution allows them to halve the cost of weeding. Moreover, since our robot can move by itself, the farmer can then devote himself to tasks with higher added value than manual weeding. Adapting our robotic arm to non-organic farmers allows us to divide by 10 the quantity of inputs used.

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