A team of Cornell undergraduates has won the grand prize at the Farm Robotics Challenge, beating out 95 other teams with their invention: an autonomous robot that kills weeds with electricity.[reference:62] The robot can travel through a vineyard or orchard without a human operator, zapping weeds with a small amount of electricity, saving labor and energy and preventing crop loss, without the use of herbicides.[reference:63]
Led by Andrew James '26, an agricultural sciences major, the team of agricultural specialists and engineers studied existing electrical weeding technology, developed their own low-energy system, and built a working prototype over four intense months.[reference:64] Natalia Kurz '29, a biological engineering major, said the project required many late nights and fears that it might be for nothing.[reference:65]
The team is using the $50,000 grand prize to form a company, Rootline Robotics, to continue working on the robot.[reference:66][reference:67] Agricultural technology firm Reservoir sponsored the award and will host the startup at its incubator in Sonoma, California.[reference:68]
"I've always been interested in building a startup within the ag-robotics space," James said. "After winning this competition and seeing all the amazing support from so many different industry stakeholders, it makes a lot of sense to keep going."[reference:69]
Weeds are a huge challenge in orchards and vineyards, stealing water and nutrients, especially in spring.[reference:70] Organic growers typically employ string trimming, mowing, and mulching, which are labor intensive. Existing electric weeders require an operator, consume a lot of energy, and cost $150,000 on average, out of reach for most growers.[reference:71]
The Rootline team consists of James as CEO, Kurz as research lead, and Michael Neiss '27, an electrical and computer engineering major, as CTO.[reference:72] The Ag Robotics Lab at Cornell provided mentorship and space.[reference:73]
Steve Selin, owner of South Hill Cider in Ithaca, provided feedback and said he is excited to try the technology. "In May and June, if you could do something to knock the weeds back enough that they're not going to compete with the trees, then the rest of the year you wouldn't have to worry about it," he said.[reference:74]