Kuhn has partnered with Canadian-firm Carbon Bee to develop a crop sprayer that uses artificial intelligence to locate and treat individual weeds.
Called i-Spray, the concept relies on boom-mounted hyperspectral sensors that scan the crop for weeds. The images are processed by a computer, which sends a signal to open and close individual nozzles to spot-spray weeds. The goal is to develop a system that is accurate at speeds of up to 15km/hr.
The main advantage of the Carbon Bee-developed system (Kuhn has designed a boom which can accept the sensors, which are placed at 3.0m intervals), is that plant protection products are only applied where they are needed.
Initial findings point to chemical savings of up to 80%, and the technology also paves the way to manage herbicide resistance, by using more targeted active substances.
Still in tests, there is no news of when the i-Spray option will be added to the price lists. When it does, it could be available on Metris and Oceanis sprayers and on boom widths from 21.0m to 48.0m.
