Source: Donews  29^th August 2025

Nvidia has announced a partnership with agricultural robotics company Carbon Robotics to launch a laser weeding machine, which can achieve highly efficient field weeding operations. Carbon Robotics' flagship product, the LaserWeeder G2, is equipped with 24 high-power lasers and 24 Nvidia GPUs. The official claim is that its weeding efficiency can reach 10,000 plants per minute, equivalent to 600,000 plants per hour, or approximately 167 plants per second.

The LaserWeeder G2 is a large agricultural equipment. The flagship model, G2 600, needs to be towed by a tractor and has a body span of 6.1 meters. The company also offers smaller models, among which the smallest one, G2 200, measures 2.8×2.2×3.2 meters. The tractor required for towing it should have at least 110 horsepower and a lifting capacity of 6500 pounds (about 2948 kilograms). The weeding efficiency of G2 200 is 2500 plants per minute, which is approximately 42 plants per second.

Carbon Robotics stated that as weeds develop stronger resistance to herbicides, laser weeding has emerged as an effective alternative. With the "Large Plant Model" weed recognition system supported by NVIDIA technology, the device has sub-millimeter recognition accuracy and can avoid damaging crops. The G2 600 can also replace a 75-person weeding team, significantly reducing the need for human labor.

Carbon Robotics plans to use this device to alleviate the global shortage of tractor drivers. NVIDIA pointed out that this weeding system can serve as an "automation retrofit kit" for existing tractors, enabling the retrofitted tractors to operate continuously for long periods without being constrained by regular working hours. A remote operation center will monitor the autonomous tractors in real time to enhance safety.

Although laser weeding technology is highly efficient, it also has some limitations. Firstly, the manufacturing cost of the equipment is extremely high, far exceeding that of traditional agricultural machinery. Secondly, laser weeding may not completely remove the roots of weeds, leading to their regrowth. Additionally, laser operations pose safety risks. If not handled properly, it can cause harm to the eyes or skin of operators, and in arid regions, it may even cause fires.