Carbon Robotics has developed an agricultural robot capable of killing 100,000 weeds per hour using high-precision lasers and artificial intelligence systems.

According to Fast Company, this new machine, equipped with artificial intelligence, has 12 high-resolution cameras that indicate the rows of crops: images are sent to an intelligent system that is capable of identifying plants in real time. When a weed is detected, the laser blinks and kills it instantly.

“I think this will be the biggest herbicide revolution in agriculture,” said James Johnson, a fourth-generation farmer who runs a farm in New Mexico where the robot was tested this year.

According to Greenpeace, glyphosate was classified as likely carcinogenic to humans in 2015 by the World Health Organization (WHO). Scientists also suspect it is an endocrine disruptor that negatively affects fertility. However, in the United States alone, nearly 127 million liters of glyphosate, the active ingredient in herbicides like Roundup, are used each year. As a result, many weeds have become more resistant to spraying.

The use of pesticides also worsened the plight of pests, killed beneficial microbes in the soil and polluted water.

Agricultural machines such as Carbon Robotics are ideal for avoiding the use of chemicals by killing weeds with a laser that carefully targets their growth cells. They also represent an important tool for the development of organic agriculture.

The people in charge of the startup want the robot to be powered by renewable energy in the future. They also state that growers will need 3 to 5 growing seasons to recoup their initial investment in the robot.

Carbon Robotics has just announced that it has received a $ 27 million Series B funding round, which will allow the company to invest in engineering and expand to more farms as demand from farmers so far outstrips supply.