Wuhan: A Chinese company has introduced an intelligent laser weeding robot, which it claims is potentially the first of its kind in the country. The robot, named Hg LaserWeeder, was showcased at an event hosted by Huagong Technology Industry Co., Ltd., one of its developers, in Wuhan, the capital of central China’s Hubei Province.
According to Namibia Press Agency, the Hg LaserWeeder is equipped with data models covering thousands of crop and weed varieties and features an AI-powered vision system. This system enables the robot to dynamically adjust its laser intensity to eliminate weeds while sparing crops, as explained by Xiong Bian, AI algorithm lead at the company’s research institute. Xiong stated that this robot is expected to replace chemical herbicides, which are known as the “number one soil killer.”
The technology boasts a weed removal rate of over 95 percent and aims to eliminate chemical herbicide residues that contaminate soil and water, thus reducing agricultural pollution at its source. A high-end version of the robot comes with up to 32 laser heads, allowing it to destroy as many as 320,000 weeds per hour. This efficiency is four to eight times greater than traditional methods that combine manual labor and herbicides, according to the company.
The recognition and targeting process of the Hg LaserWeeder takes less than five milliseconds from image capture to weed elimination. Ma Xinqiang, chairman of Huagong Technology, emphasized that building a new development paradigm and driving high-quality growth requires strengthening innovation more than ever. He noted that Huagong will continue to increase investment in innovation, boost talent density, and expand its network of partners.
The company mentioned that the weeding robot has completed algorithm validation trials in test fields located in Yunnan and Heilongjiang provinces. Global pre-orders for the robot are now open, with mass production targeted for 2026.