EIP Project Database

Federal State

Schleswig-Holstein

Project Title

Robotic weed control

Project description

At the start of the project, the necessary materials and technical components were procured. In consultation with the OG, it was decided to deviate from the original plan and convert a solar-powered glider into a carrier vehicle.

Initially, three destruction units were installed on an 8-track robot. Initial field tests were carried out in 2019 and confirmed the basic functionality of the system, but also highlighted the need for further optimization for practical use.

Between May and September 2020, the entire system was tested on land belonging to Westhof in Friedrichsgabekoog and the surrounding area, both in 1-track and 8-track operation. The tests showed that the 8-track system currently still has lower accuracy and area performance compared to manual weed control.

Final report

Download report (PDF file)

Results focusing on practiceorientation

The initial results from 2020 showed that the weed control device did not remove weeds of different sizes with the same reliability. Therefore, the evaluations in 2021 were differentiated into three categories: small, medium, and large weeds.

This classification showed that the robot achieved a detection accuracy of 81% in the first four weeks after sowing – exceeding the performance of human workers during this period. Compared to 2020, this represents an increase of around 26%.

It also became clear that the operating costs of the robot system are significantly lower than those of manual weed control.

Main funding source

Rural development 2014-2020 for Operational Groups (in the sense of Art 56 of Reg.1305/2013)

Project status

completed

Total budget applied for in EUR

369,368

Link 1

project website of EIP Agrar SH

NUTS3 CODE

DEF05