Seattle-based Carbon Robotics has launched a groundbreaking AI system that could transform how farmers manage weeds and crops. The Large Plant Model, trained on over 150 million labeled plant images, enables instant plant identification without the lengthy retraining previously required when encountering new weed species or growing conditions.
Revolutionary Speed and Flexibility
Before the Large Plant Model, Carbon Robotics’ LaserWeeder robots needed approximately 24 hours of retraining whenever a new weed variety appeared – or even when a familiar weed looked different in new soil conditions. This delay frustrated farmers who needed immediate responses to emerging weed problems.
Now, farmers can simply select images on an iPad and tell the system which plants to eliminate. The system learns instantly and adjusts laser targeting in real-time. This capability represents a fundamental shift from rigid computer vision systems that require extensive retraining for each new scenario.
“The farmer can live in real time and say, ‘Hey, this is a new weed. I want you to kill this,’ and that was something that had never been done before,” explained Paul Mikesell, founder and CEO of Carbon Robotics. “There’s no new labeling or retraining because the Large Plant Model understands, at a much deeper level, what it’s looking at and the type of plant.”
Massive Training Dataset
The model’s capabilities stem from its unprecedented training data. Carbon Robotics collected over 150 million photos and data points from its machines operating across more than 100 farms in 15 countries. This global dataset encompasses diverse crops, weeds, soil types, climates, and growth stages.
This breadth proves critical for agricultural AI. Fields differ dramatically not just by crop but by soil texture, moisture, residue cover, and seasonal variability. Weeds can look completely different depending on growth stage or stress conditions. By training on this diversity, Carbon Robotics created a more generalized form of plant intelligence that works across varied conditions without starting from scratch.
As Carbon Robotics demonstrates its technology at Fruit Logistica in Berlin and World Ag Expo in California, the industry will watch closely to see whether the Large Plant Model delivers on its promise across diverse crops, regions, and growing seasons.
