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U of Illinois team working on robotic weed puller

A group of scientists is working on what they envision to be a possible solution to herbicide resistant weeds. University of Illinois engineers and weed scientists are doing USDA-funded research on robots to take out weeds mechanically.

The team has developed the wheeled device that can get through fields on its own. Mechanical Engineering undergraduate students are developing the robotic arm to pull the weeds. To an untrained eye, young row crops and weeds can look very similar. Even after the commodities have grown, the robots would still need to be able to tell the difference between a corn stalk and a water hemp plant, according to a U of I news release.

“Big equipment can’t reach between plants after they’ve grown to a certain point,” said Girish Chowdhary, of the Coordinated Science Laboratory, and assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. “The robots could autonomously and continuously go through and take care of the weeds underneath the canopy.”

In addition to Chowdhary’s robotics expertise, the team includes experts in machine learning, weed scientists, and environmental ecosystems specialists.

Adam Davis, head of the U of I Department of Crop Sciences, provides agronomic expertise with his years of weed management experience.

The potential impact this project could have on farmers and the agricultural industry as a whole could be huge, according to Davis.

“This project could revolutionize integrated weed management,” said Davis, “giving farmers a novel, highly effective tool for physical weed control while reducing reliance on, and improving stewardship of, herbicides.”