International awards program honors agtech robotics provider among standout AI companies

Carbon Robotics, a leader in AI-powered robotics announced that its LaserWeeder™ has been named “Best AI-based Solution for Agriculture” in the sixth annual AI Breakthrough Awards program conducted by AI Breakthrough. The leading market intelligence organization recognizes today’s top companies, technologies and products in the global Artificial Intelligence (AI) market.

Carbon Robotics’ LaserWeeder™ is the first and only commercially available laserweeding robot and has eliminated over one billion weeds to date. It leverages sophisticated AI deep learning technology, computer vision, robotics and lasers to deliver high-precision weed control. The LaserWeeder can kill up to 99% of weeds, weed up to two acres per hour, and eliminate up to 5,000 weeds per minute.

The technology detects and eliminates weeds much sooner than possible with the human eye, killing them earlier in their lifecycle without harming the crop or soil. It can operate on over 40 crops and create and deploy new deep-learning crop models within 24 to 48 hours. Growers utilizing the LaserWeeder have reduced weed control costs by up to 80% and see a return on investment in one to three years.

“Recognizing the challenges farmers face in weed control, we created an AI and deep learning technology that saves growers time and money on an extremely expensive and challenging task,” said Paul Mikesell, CEO and founder of Carbon Robotics. “We are honored to receive this recognition from AI Breakthrough and are proud to equip farmers with a reliable and sustainable tool.”

The AI Breakthrough Awards’ mission is to honor excellence and recognize the innovation, hard work and success in various AI and machine learning-related categories. This year’s program attracted more than 3,200 nominations from over 20 countries worldwide.

“We’re thrilled to award Carbon Robotics’ groundbreaking LaserWeeder ‘Best AI-based Solution for Agriculture.’ The LaserWeeder’s complex computer vision technology enables farmers to manage weed control efficiently,” said James Johnson, managing director, AI Breakthrough. “In today’s climate of scarce available labor and low supply of herbicides, growers need solutions that enable them to weed large-scale crops effectively. Carbon Robotics is providing that solution through its technology.”

Earlier this year, Carbon Robotics introduced a new capability of the LaserWeeder - the industry’s first LaserThinning technology, which targets areas where vegetable crops are purposefully overseeded and then thinned for optimal crop spacing, growth and yield. The company was also named to Fast Company’s annual list of Most Innovative Companies and raised $35 million in Series C funding to expand sales, optimize and scale manufacturing, develop new products and launch into international markets.