Weeding is a significant problem in farming coupled with high costs. Conventionally, herbicides are used to treat the problem, but with more being prohibited every year, as well as a general trend to organic farming, alternatives are needed. While weeds between crop rows can be removed by tractor mounted cultivators, weeds within the rows must be removed by hand.
However, with the increasing number of organic farmers, the required workforce is difficult to find and automation is necessary.
We propose a small autonomous rover which drives through the field and removes weeds close to the crops using a laser-based module. This will be provided as a service allowing the same robot to be used across different farms and crop cultures.
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