Team Belted Kingfisher developed an autonomous robot that accurately navigates and weeds within horseradish fields. The robot uses a combination of cameras, GPS, RTK receivers, and sensors for vision-based navigation, obstacle detection, and localization. If GPS is unavailable, computer vision techniques will be used for row detection and navigation. The weeding mechanism is designed to autonomously detect and remove weeds in crop rows. It utilizes a pneumatic system with adjustable end-effectors, providing flexibility to the farmer for modifying the tool configuration based on specific needs.

Horseradish has limited labeled herbicide options because it is a non-GMO crop, leaving manual labor as the primary weed management method. Workers are deployed only when weeds grow taller than the horseradish plants, as navigating the dense fields is challenging. This delays weed control until later growth stages, making the process more difficult and less effective. Manual weeding is labor-intensive, time-consuming, and costly, especially in large fields, while chemical alternatives can be expensive, inefficient, and environmentally harmful.