5/21/26

Rootline Robotics - Cornell University (Ithaca, NY)

Rootline Robotics developed an autonomous, perception-driven robotic weeder that delivers pulsed high-voltage microshocks to eliminate weeds in orchard and vineyard herbicide strips. Built as an arm-mounted attachment for the Amiga platform from Bonsai Robotics, the system pairs computer vision, machine learning and depth sensing with a two-degree-of-freedom mechanical arm and a comb-based electrode array that conditions plant geometry before treatment. Unlike commercial electric weeders that consume tens of kilowatt-hours through continuous high-power discharge, Rootline's electrobiological approach treats weeds at roughly 30 joules per plant, keeping total energy consumption below 0.1 kWh even at 10,000 plants. The team validated the system with Crist Bros Orchards, a 500-acre commercial apple operation in Orange County, New York.

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The Fire Blighters - Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA)