AI robots fill in for weed killers and farm hands across US

OBLIVIOUS to the punishing midday heat, a wheeled robot powered by the sun and infused with artificial intelligence carefully combs a cotton field in California, plucking out weeds.

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As farms across the US face a shortage of labourers and weeds grow resistant to herbicides, startup Aigen says its robotic solution — named Element - can save farmers money, help the environment and keep harmful chemicals out of food.

“I really believe this is the biggest thing we can do to improve human health,” co-founder and chief technology officer Richard Wurden said, as robots made their way through crops at Bowles Farm in the town of Los Banos.

“Everybody's eating food sprayed with chemicals.”

Wurden, a mechanical engineer who spent five years at Tesla, went to work on the robot after relatives who farm in Minnesota told him weeding was a costly bane.

Weeds are becoming immune to herbicides, but a shortage of laborers often leaves chemicals as the only viable option, according to Wurden.