August 2022 - 8

University of Idaho researchers help develop
solar-powered weeding robot
By the University of Idaho
A pair of researchers from University
of Idaho's College of Agricultural and
Life Sciences are partnering with a
Washington company to develop a
solar-powered robot that will rove
autonomously through farm fields and
eradicate weeds.
Jae Ryu, an associate professor in
the Department of Soil and Water
Systems, and
Jerry Neufeld,
Extension
crops educator,
Canyon
County, have
been collecting
data in Idaho
farm fields to
High-Tech Tools
2022
help the robot differentiate between
weeds and two of the state's major
crops - sugar beets and onions.
The company behind the project,
Kirkland, Washington-based Aigen,
hopes to have a prototype of the robot
finished by late this summer. It will be
adapted for use in other crops later.
The robot will have wheels and
will be roughly the size of a shopping
cart, rolling between rows in farm
Jae Ryu, an associate professor at the University of Idaho, is one of the researchers partnering with a Washington company to develop
a solar-powered robot that will rove autonomously through farm fields and eradicate weeds. Photo: University of Idaho
fields before crop canopies close. A
small arm will grasp and pull little
weeds; the robot will emit an electric
shock to fry the larger weeds.
" They're trying to make it as small
as possible and light as possible so
one person could lift it up and put it
in the back of a pickup, " Neufeld said.
Ryu said Amalgamated Sugar Co.
WHERE DO VEGETABLE
GROWERS SOURCE PRODUCTS
FOR THEIR BUSINESS?
has been interested in the project. He
can envision several robots working
sugar beet fields at the same time.
Kiowa, Iowa, Idaho farmers plant
sugar beet seed that's genetically
modified to resist glyphosate
herbicide, but kochia weeds in the
state have already started developing
herbicide resistance.
Ryu said the robots could provide
an answer to Idaho farmers who
have been unable to find enough
field workers for simple tasks such as
weeding. He believes new technology
will play an increasingly important
role in addressing the farm labor
shortage. In the near future, he
expects drones will be spraying fields
now treated by crop duster pilots.
" Maybe over the next few decades
we're going to see a lot of this kind of
autonomous vehicle everywhere, " Ryu
said. " Technology is improving so
fast these days. We have to accept this
technology to make our life easier. "
Ryu said the robot could also fill a
niche by providing weed control on
organic farms.
" This is also very beneficial for
The 2022 Buyers' Guide
Growers rely on Vegetable Growers News to
provide the resources they need for a successful
operation. In the 2022 Buyers' Guide, you will
find the latest products in biologicals, irrigation,
postharvest and much more!
Visit VegetableGrowersNews.com/BuyersGuide
8 | VegetableGrowersNews.com
VGN_BuyersGuide2022_PrintAd.indd 1
11/9/21 11:21 AM
environmental ecosystems, " Ryu said.
" Farmers are going to reduce their
chemical applications. "
Starting in April, Ryu and Neufeld
have gone out into sugar beet and
onion fields every five days, weather
permitting, to take photos of weeds.
They manually push a cart fitted
with an accelerometer to take two
photographs of the ground per
second while the cart is in motion.
Aigen uploads the photos from their
" Maybe over the next
few decades we're going
to see a lot of this kind
of autonomous vehicle
everywhere. "
− Jae Ryu, Associate professor,
University of Idaho
SD cards to build the database the
robot will use to tell the difference
between weeds and crops.
" I'm also thinking to develop an
education and training module to
help farmers operate the ground
robot safely and wisely in the farm
field, " Ryu said.
The researchers are uncertain
how much each robot unit will cost
to build or how much ground an
individual robot will be capable of
covering in a set amount of time.
Ryu has applied for an Idaho
Global Entrepreneurial Mission
grant through the Idaho Department
of Commerce to fund development
of a similar autonomous robot that
would take the field photographs in
lieu of manually pushing a cart.
If the IGEM grant is funded, that
robot could also be used to aid in
ground truthing for some of his
additional research involving drones.
One of those projects, funded by the
Idaho Wheat Commission, entails
flying a drone with multispectral
sensors to detect the presence of
wireworms in wheat fields. Ryu has
also researched using multispectral
sensors to identify early symptoms of
pink root disease in onions. VGN

http://www.VegetableGrowersNews.com/BuyersGuide http://www.VegetableGrowersNews.com

August 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2022