US tech company Carbon Robotics, has debuted its second generation LaserWeeder which claims sub-millimetre weed control.

Designed and manufactured at Carbon Robotics’ newly opened, manufacturing facility, located in eastern Washington State, USA, the new LaserWeeder G2 combines the latest AI, computer vision, robotics and laser technology.

New models are said to be faster, lighter and incorporate a modular design making them more suitable to varying farm sizes as well as field configurations and crop types.

New 240W lasers reduce shoot times which along with upgraded Nvidia graphics processing units mean ground can be covered twice as fast as before. High-resolution cameras with enhanced optics ensure clear and detailed visualisation.

The G2 claims to reduce weed control costs by up to 80% by eliminating herbicides and mechanical weed control. The manufacturer also outlined that due to its modular design of the G2 machine widths can vary from 2m to 18.3m.

Models include the 200 (2m), 400 (4m), 600 (6m) for speciality vegetable crops and herbs and the larger 1200 (12m) and 1800 (18m) models for corn and soyabean crops etc.

The new 6.1m is 25% lighter than the original LaserWeeder. Lighter weighs mean the new G2 models can be paired with smaller tractors, reducing soil compaction and allowing earlier entry into fields.

"LaserWeeder G2 is a huge leap forward. Designed with Carbon AI, the new product line benefits from years of learning in real-world farm fields and conditions,” said Paul Mikesell, CEO and founder of Carbon Robotics.

“All of the hardware components are upgraded. This was an incredible feat by our world-class engineering, product and field teams. I’m extremely proud of this new technology and how it will help farmers set a new standard in farm profitability and sustainability."

Powered by Carbon AI, the most advanced deep learning system for plant detection and identification, the LaserWeeder G2 utilizes a growing dataset of over 40 million plants labelled from three continents. To date, it has helped grower’s laser weed over 250,000 acres, eliminating over 15 billion weeds across 100+ different crops.