Cropr, a producer of robots, asked Hittech Comac director Tim Merx whether he was interested in a field demonstration of the cropr weedr, a robot that combines camera recognition with laser technology for weeding.
Tim Merx: ‘cropr was founded by the people behind H2L Robotics to develop chemical-free weed control solutions, drawing on their expertise in recognition, mechanical engineering and autonomy. When they asked us to help them with this new robot, we sent two of our technicians to build the first five units at their production site in collaboration with their engineers.’
Why did you shut down the company for a day to take your entire team to the test site?
Tim Merx: ‘When the cropr team invited us to join the field demonstration, I asked if I could bring the entire Hittech Comac team. You know, if you assemble products without understanding how they function in practice, you’re limiting your view. For example, we work in a very clean environment, so it’s interesting to see the robot in action in a dusty field. Seeing the cropr weedr in action really energised us, and it’s nice to celebrate such a success with our client.’
Cropr is a sister company of H2L Robotics. The cropr weedr uses cameras to scan the ground and recognise both crops and weeds. A laser is directed at the weeds to destroy them.
