Development and field testing of the next generation of vision-guided weeding systems

“目前的作物生产系统一直依赖于大规模使用除草剂来控制杂草。然而，由于前所未有的监管和环境压力，这种方法是不可持续的，这使得新的重点放在开发新的技术来杀死杂草。精密锄草设备是一种很有前途的替代方案，但目前的系统无法达到完全清除田间杂草所需的精度。该项目将开发下一代机器人除草机械，能够对特定杂草进行选择性和精确的处理。提出的技术是一种独特的精密锄头的新组合，由基于多模态传感和最先进的机器学习的视觉系统指导，用于精确检测和定位杂草。该系统将可由最终用户重新训练，并使系统能够快速部署和适应各种工厂类型和环境条件。拟议的除草系统将是模块化和可扩展的，因此它既可以作为拖拉机安装的解决方案部署在Garford农场机械公司的RoboCrop系统上，也可以部署在Saga机器人有限公司开发的自主移动机器人Thorvald上。自动除草机可以以更低的速度和更高的精度进行除草，同时实现24/7连续运行。此外，它还为那些在温室或综合隧道中种植作物的农民提供了一个解决方案，因为传统的工具无法部署。拟议的发展将带来更高效的除草设备，从而更好地管理杂草，减少投入使用，为食品生产商、销售商和社会带来经济、社会和环境效益。”

"The current crop production systems have been reliant on the wide-scale application of herbicides to control weeds. However, this approach is not sustainable due to unprecedented regulatory and environmental pressures which place new emphasis on the development of novel techniques to kill weeds. Precision hoeing equipment is a promising alternative but the current systems cannot achieve the accuracy required to completely remove the weed presence from the fields. This project will develop the next generation of robotic weeding machinery, enabling selective and accurate treatment of specific weeds.The proposed technology is a novel combination of unique precision hoe, guided by a vision system based on multi-modal sensing and state-of-the-art machine learning for precise detection and localisation of the weeds. The system will be re-trainable by the end-user and enable rapid deployment of the system and adaptation for various plant types and environmental conditions.The proposed weeding system will be modularised and scalable so it can be deployed both as a tractor-mounted solution building on Garford Farm Machinery's RoboCrop system and on the autonomous mobile robot Thorvald developed by Saga Robotics Ltd. An autonomous weeder can weed at lower speed and with greater precision while enabling continuous 24/7 operation. In addition, it offers a solution for farmers who grow crops in glasshouses or polytunnels where the traditional implements cannot be deployed. The proposed developments will lead to more efficient weeding equipment resulting in better management of weeds and reduced input use, bringing several economic, social and environmental benefits to food producers, sellers and society."