ecoRobotix Unveils Weed Fighting Robot Which Reduces Herbicide Use by 20x

A Swiss company called ecoRobotix has unveiled a novel solution to the issue of the excess use of herbicide in farming, a four-wheeled robot which looks more like a table than a sophisticated weeding machine. The system utilises targeted streams of herbicide which, the makers claim means that it uses 20x less herbicide than would be used in a standard treatment. As around $26 billion of herbicide are used in farming worldwide every year, the robot could be a huge money saver for farms. The solar-powered robot is completely autonomous in terms of energy, even when the weather is overcast. The device navigates itself down the rows in the fields with a built-in GPS and can run for up to 12 hours at a time thanks to the solar panel on its top. The company plan to start selling the robot towards the end of 2018.