The Weedmaster is a concept for a methanol fueled robot that would weed fields in an eco-friendly manner. The Weedmaster would help prevent the need for herbicides, or tractor pulled weeding machines.
The Weedmaster is a concept by Swiss industrial designer Fabian Zimmerli to help eliminate the need for herbicides in commercial farming. The little robots use modern technology to help them weed in an energy efficient manner, using GPS to allow them to navigate precisely and using a digital image recognition system to help differentiate between the intended plant and a weed.
The Weedmaster would be powered by a methanol fuel cell and would be able to uproot weeds autonomously. The size and weight the robots would be suitable for use in all weathers, unlike the tractor pulled weeding machines. For very large areas a fleet of these Weedmaster robots could be used, creating a network of interacting robots. It is hoped that because the robots would work in such an energy efficient manner that they would be seen as profitable not only by those currently working organically but also by those running conventional farms, allowing them to move away from the use of herbicides.
The Weedmaster concept would provide farmers with the ability to be rid of weeds in a cost effective and energy efficient manner. It is hoped that the robots would help more conventional farms cut out the use of herbicides which would help to make them more environmentally friendly.
Source: Weedmaster