The US laser weeding robot company has raised another $30m

On April 11, Carbon Robotics, a Seattle-based laser weeding robot company, announced a $30 million Series C funding round.

The round was led by Sozo Ventures with existing investors Anthos Capital, Fuse Venture Capital, Ignition Partners, Liquid 2 and Voyager Capital, The funds will be used to expand the North American sales territory, optimize and expand manufacturing, develop new hardware and software products, and accelerate international market expansion.

Carbon Robotics was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in Seattle, USA. Investors from Sozo and Voyager also joined Carbon Robotics' board in this round of funding. The company previously raised $27 million in Series B funding in 2021, bringing its cumulative total to $67 million to date.

Carbon Robotics's laser weeding robots can remove "500 million weeds covering 40 different crops," according to its public profile. The company is on track to offer its laser weed whacker product to 17 US states and three Canadian provinces in 2023 and is currently soliciting orders. The company won't disclose exact pricing information for its large automated laser mower, but says it costs about the same as a medium-sized tractor (between $25,000 and $50,000). In addition, a small operating model is expected to be launched by the end of this year.

Commenting on the latest funding round, Paul Mikesell, founder and CEO of Carbon Robotics, said: "This round of funding further supports our mission to provide growers with cost-effective and efficient precision agricultural technology tools. Traditional weeding methods, such as hand weeding and herbicides, are expensive, unreliable and can damage the health of the soil itself. The laser weed mower addresses all of these challenges."

Advanced laser weeding technology

In February 2022, Carbon Robotics launched the LaserWeeder™ laser weeding robot. The system incorporates advanced computer vision and artificial intelligence technologies from Carbon Robotics and is able to instantly identify, locate and remove weeds using 30 high-powered CO2 lasers. The laser weeder is a towed robot that fits seamlessly behind a tractor. Using heat, it is able to destroy weed meristem with millimetre accuracy without damaging nearby crops or disturbing the soil environment. Carbon Robotics' patented lighting system enables the laser weed whacker to operate 24/7 with millimetre accuracy in almost all weather conditions, reducing annual weed control costs by 80% and improving crop yield and quality, with a break-even result within 1-3 years.

The LaserWeeder™ Laser Weeding robot combines laser technology, GPS and artificial intelligence (AI) to operate propulsion at 5 miles per hour across three crop rows (approximately 20 feet wide) with an average weeding capacity of 2 acres per hour, according to the report. The robot can also fully adjust crop row widths ranging from 60 to 84 inches. The transition between crops can be adjusted using a touch screen without leaving the comfort of the cab.

Automated laser dredging scheme

Carbon Robotics also recently expanded its laser weeding machine to feature the industry's first LaserThinning, which targets areas where vegetable crops have been deliberately oversown and then dredged for optimal crop spacing, growth and yield. This is especially valuable for farmers who grow direct-seeded leafy greens and canola crops, such as lettuce and broccoli.

These new software features include:

- Laser dredging. The LaserWeeder Weeder Robot can select and set Weeding mode, sparse mode, and Weed-Sparse Flexible interchange mode from its intuitive ipad-based user interface.

- Prioritize seeding and weeding. Laser mowers can be set to use dynamic or static strips to increase speed and weeding efficiency. Dynamic tape can automatically detect seed lines, adjust ectopic plants and make adjustments according to the operator.

- Speed optimization. The latest software recommends the optimal tractor speed based on the planter's desired weed percentage and weed type kill rate to optimize speed in high, medium and low pressure weed environments.

-40 + crop treatment models. New deep learning crop models can be easily added in 24-48 hours.

Source: OFweek