WHITE PAPER LaserPest: Non-Chemical Substitution of Pesticides
Alteria Automation has published a new white paper
LaserPest is an innovative project to substitute the use of pesticides with a non-chemical approach based on the focused irradiation of energy towards the pest. The preferred embodiment is a battery-operated electrical Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR)
Computer cameras identify and classify pests using RCNN. An embedded computer system steers a pulsed low-power Laser beam to the pest. A visible Laser guide pointer is used to steer the shot to the pest precisely. The pulsed energy will kill the plague without damaging the crop leaves
An image is taken before and after the treatment, securing traceability
A wireless connectivity module forwards data and images to a data platform on-the-cloud server
A.I. is used to generate a digital twin of the operation, create predictive models, and improve the treatments
Energy sources include Near Infrared (1064 nm) coherent laser beam for insects and weeds, and Ultraviolet-C (254nm) for mold. Both are proven-to-work technologies on the field for other applications
LaserPest could achieve a heavy reduction in the need for pesticide use. It will work for most crops. The process leaves no harmful residue, but dead insects and weeds that are nitrogen-rich organic fertilizers, and repel other insects
LaserPest is designed to be a highly selective process. The bee population that is threatened today by the spray of Pesticides will be safe, as the Computer Vision cameras will identify beneficial insects from plagues before shooting
We have designed LaserPest as Software Designed Equipment (SDE). As an example of this innovative architecture, LaserPest can be one-week treating vineyards in France and the following week strawberries in Spain, treating a different pest just by automatically updating the software
The methodology is backed by previous research, and built over an innovative combination of existing technologies. A complete LaserPest system will cost 20,000 Euros for sale but will be offered as a rental or as a service.
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