Agricultural robots use UV-C light and GPS to reduce pesticide use

Autonomous agricultural robots are being deployed to reduce reliance on chemical pesticides through UV-C light treatment and mechanical precision. In California, TRIC Robotics utilizes the Eden model, a large-scale autonomous platform, to treat strawberry crops at night. These robots use UV-C light to target specific fungi and mites, adjusting lamp height and lateral wings automatically to accommodate uneven terrain.

In France, solar-powered robots like the FarmDroid FD20 are being used for autonomous seeding and weeding. Guided by GPS RTK for centimeter-level precision, these machines can record seed positions to perform mechanical weeding as early as 8 millimeters from the plant. According to INRAE, such robotic technologies can reduce herbicide usage by 40% to 90% depending on the crop and technical approach. Other companies, such as Naïo Technologies, already have hundreds of robots in service across French fields to assist with market gardening and labor shortages.