Original Source: Fastcompany.com
Why Aigen, which created the first pesticide- and fossil fuel-free weeder for farmers, is one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in the agriculture category.
Aigen’s robotic weeder, the Element, is powered solely by sun rays. It maneuvers across fields using a regenerative motor and vast solar panel that doubles as a windsail. Fewer than 1.5 watts of energy are still enough for it to run its AI crop detection software—an iPhone uses two to three times more power—and it can then deploy arms to uproot plant invaders for up to 14 hours a day
Aigen says that the agile device—the first pesticide- and fossil-fuel-free option for farmers—is able to weed 30 acres per week, often while generating a power surplus each day. It weighs less than most humans do, meaning it won’t crush the life out of the soil like heavy modern machinery often does.
When Aigen debuted the Element and made it available for preorder last June, the 2024 and 2025 models, designed by an ex-Tesla engineer, sold out in a day. The first robots will arrive on some 20,000-plus acres of U.S. farmland in April.
Aigen, which raised $12 million in November to scale production, is starting with weeds, the leading cause of farm yield stagnation (American farmers apply almost $1 billion worth of pesticides per year, for a cost rapidly approaching $100 an acre). But it contends that it’s building more than simply an advanced weed-whacker for tech bros.
It believes its full package, from a fleet of camera-equipped bots to real-time data insights, will go further than simply plucking weeds and will help farmers grow healthier crops, too.