On October 21st, a team from the School of Computer and Information at Anhui Normal University is intensively preparing for the finals of the 14th “Challenge Cup” Chinese College Students Entrepreneurship Competition. Their innovative project, titled “Invisible Shadows—A Novel Scorpion-Tail Laser Weeding Machine,” previously won a gold medal at the 11th “Challenge Cup: Huadian Securities” Anhui Provincial College Students Entrepreneurship Competition, along with a silver medal at the 2024 Anhui Provincial College Students Innovation Competition.
Over the past five years, the team has traveled across eight provinces and 25 cities, conducting in-depth interviews with agricultural enterprises and farmers. Through over ten thousand model training sessions, a thousand research papers, and 60,000 lines of code, they have transitioned a small laser weeder from the laboratory to the fields, aiming to provide an efficient solution for weed removal.
“I grew up watching my farmer parents struggle to manually remove weeds, which was labor-intensive and inefficient. During one of our project meetings, I learned about the various functions of lasers and thought about increasing the power to effectively eliminate weeds,” said Yan Xingxing, the team leader.
Laser weeding technology boasts advantages such as reducing agricultural labor intensity and minimizing the use of herbicides, presenting a promising market potential. “Considering our specialties, we decided to integrate IoT, artificial intelligence, and robotics into a small-scale laser weeding robot project. This not only leverages the students’ knowledge but also hones their practical skills and fosters innovation,” explained Zhao Chuanxin, the team’s advisor. To bridge knowledge gaps in specific fields, the advisor proactively created a cross-disciplinary research platform, inviting experts from agricultural science, automation technology, and robotics engineering to provide professional guidance to the students.
With this foundation, the team initiated field studies and pilot projects for their lightweight laser weeder designed for small-scale economic entities, expanding their research to surrounding provinces centering on Anhui, including Jiangxi and Jiangsu, embarking on a research journey across eight provinces.
During their investigations, the team identified several challenges with existing laser weeding technologies, such as limited weeding scenarios, poor adaptability to terrain, and high crop misidentification rates. To address these issues, they expanded their weed-crop training dataset, improved path-planning algorithms based on ant colony optimization, built support mechanisms for overcoming obstacles, and developed dual-vision enhancement techniques that merge contour detection for more effective identification and positioning of weeds, resulting in a cost-effective, efficient scorpion-tail laser weeder.
To test whether their weeder could perform effectively in real-world conditions, the team conducted their first pilot experiment at a traditional Chinese medicinal herb planting base in Fuyang. While they were initially pleased with the machine’s stable performance, a sudden gust of wind affected its ability to accurately identify the displaced weeds. “During our first validation, we encountered localization errors due to environmental interference. In subsequent studies, we refined our algorithms and implemented a feedback mechanism, ensuring the device functions properly even in windy conditions,” said team member Liu Yuhang. This experiment also successfully addressed issues related to excessive pesticide residues that could diminish the medicinal properties of herbs.
After five years of exploration and three versions of their design, the laser weeder is now stable and has begun its transition from the lab to active agricultural use. The team has engaged in intention agreements with relevant cooperatives, securing contracts for weeding services and product procurement. They anticipate a 40% improvement in produce quality and a 30% reduction in pesticide use, indicating a bright future for their product in the market.
The road to innovation in agriculture is filled with uncertainties and challenges—creative blocks, tight deadlines, and failed validations are common experiences. “As the only second-year student, my theoretical knowledge and competition experience were limited, but our team has a great atmosphere; whenever someone has a new idea, we discuss it together. Under the guidance of our seniors, I’ve gained valuable research experience,” said team member Cao Junhao.
“One of my most memorable experiences was walking six miles to the pilot site, chatting and laughing along the way about the product’s success and future development. I didn’t feel tired at all,” shared team member Yuan Xinru.
Looking ahead, advisor Zhao Chuanxin expressed his hopes: “I want them to continue nurturing their innovative spirit and applying what they’ve learned to real-world challenges. I believe that as the project gradually materializes, it will significantly contribute to agricultural production in our country.”
