{"id":247208,"date":"2024-07-24T15:17:24","date_gmt":"2024-07-24T15:17:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/24\/robot-dog-can-stifle-weeds-by-blasting-them-with-a-blowtorch\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:14:04","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:14:04","slug":"robot-dog-can-stifle-weeds-by-blasting-them-with-a-blowtorch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/24\/robot-dog-can-stifle-weeds-by-blasting-them-with-a-blowtorch\/","title":{"rendered":"Robot dog can stifle weeds by blasting them with a blowtorch"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A Spot robot equipped with a blowtorch for tackling weeds<\/p>\n

Dezhen Song et al. (2024)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

A robot dog equipped with a blowtorch could be used to stop weeds growing on farms, potentially offering a replacement for harmful herbicides.<\/p>\n

Even highly targeted herbicides can cause environmental problems, affecting local wildlife<\/a>, and \u201csuperweeds\u201d are quickly evolving resistance<\/a> to the most common weed-killers like glyphosate.<\/p>\n

In search of an alternative solution, Dezhen Song<\/a> at Texas A&M University and his colleagues have developed a weed control system that uses a brief burst of heat from a propane-powered torch controlled by a robotic arm, attached to a Spot robot manufactured by Boston Dynamics.<\/p>\n

Rather than incinerate the weeds, the robot is designed to identify and heat up the centre of the plant, which can stop it growing for several weeks, says Song. \u201cThe weeds don\u2019t die \u2013 you just suppress their growth so it gives your crop a chance to fight the weed.\u201d<\/p>\n

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