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Man Finally Makes the Weed-Removing Robot

Posted by samzenpus on from the it-only-listens-to-reggae dept.

Roland Piquepaille writes "According to the Ludington Daily News, Michigan, Danish agricultural engineers have built a robot to help farmers with weeds. The Hortibot is about 3-foot-by-3-foot, is self-propelled, and uses global positioning system (GPS). It can recognize 25 different kinds of weeds and eliminate them by using its weed-removing attachments. It's also very environmentally friendly because it can reduce herbicide usage by 75 percent. But so far, it's only a prototype and the Danish engineers need to find a manufacturer for distribution."

30 of 258 comments (clear)

  1. Well it's about time by blool · · Score: 5, Funny

    I for one, welcome our weed killing friends... As long as we remain friends.

    1. Re:Well it's about time by IdleTime · · Score: 3, Funny

      Here I am, thinking about a whole different type of weed and hoping on cheaper buds...

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  2. My mortal enemy by wawannem · · Score: 5, Funny

    I am going to hunt this thing down and destroy every last ounce of it's evil metal body...

    Right after I get up off the couch

  3. Ho Hum, call me when they perfect the by Ellis+D.+Tripp · · Score: 4, Funny

    weed GROWING robot, or even the weed SMOKING robot..

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    1. Re:Ho Hum, call me when they perfect the by weighn · · Score: 2, Funny

      the weed SMOKING robot.. Dave: Its Dave man! Will you open up, I got the stuff with me!
      Robot: *cough*cough* Bite my shiny metal *cough* ass!
      --
      Mongrel News all the news that fits and froths
    2. Re:Ho Hum, call me when they perfect the by Opportunist · · Score: 2, Funny

      Dude, if your 'bot nicks my stash, I'll kick his shiny metal ass!

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  4. Hmm.... lasers... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny
    From the article: (emphasis mine)

    It can manually pick weeds, spray, or remove them using flames or a laser.
    Now all we need are the sharks...

    (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)
  5. Why has it taken so long? by eggfoolr · · Score: 5, Funny

    Why has it taken so long for man to make one? Woman worked out how to do it long ago!

  6. bah! by FlopEJoe · · Score: 2, Funny

    When will they learn that the war on drugs is a lost cause?

  7. Re:What does this thing look like? by Walt+Dismal · · Score: 2, Funny
    In the fullness of time, iRobot will no doubt introduce a robot that can remove weed from your carpet, clean the seeds and stems out, and leave only pure bud in the tray.

    Also, the Danish engineers probably will have to arm their robots to protect them from angry, paranoid pot-growers everywhere.

    Finally, a robot with cat-shaped grippers and a cat-Taser will be welcome, although a simple cat-sized mulching attachment would be just fine by me.

  8. Robots with FLAME THROWERS? by lietkynes65 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Well we are one step closer to having robot overlords, we are now equipping autonomous robots with flame throwers!

    1. Re:Robots with FLAME THROWERS? by HanzoSpam · · Score: 2, Funny

      Well we are one step closer to having robot overlords, we are now equipping autonomous robots with flame throwers!

      Well, I initially misread the caption as Man Finally Makes Weed-Smoking Robot...

      Maybe I was closer to the truth than I thought...

      Hey, Tin Man - got a light?

      --

      Progressivism: Parasites helping parasites to help themselves - to other people's stuff.
  9. Re:Weed-removing attachments? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
    Prepare to be impressed!

    From the RTFA:

    Depending on the needs of the farmer and the kind of vegetable crop, Hortibot has a variety of weed-removing attachments and methods. It can manually pick weeds, spray, or remove them using flames or a laser.


    Imagine a beowulf cluster of Hortibot's with frickin' laser beams and flamethrowers attached, and on the loose! Madness!
  10. Re:What does this thing look like? by Waffle+Iron · · Score: 2, Funny

    If it misidentified your crop as weed you might lose a lot.

    They could add a couple of sanity checks to the GUI:

    || Alert ||

    Based on my analysis, I think that your lawn is entirely comprised of 473,573 Spotted Spurge plants. Do you want me to dig them all out by their roots?

    [ Cancel ] [ Continue ] [ Configure ]
  11. Obligatory Joke by Enderandrew · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Man Finally Makes the Weed-Removing Robot"

    In other news, Bush announces a major victory in the war on drugs.

    --
    http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
  12. Re:Weed-removing attachments? by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 4, Funny

    If you RTFA you will notice that lasers are in fact one of the "weed-removing attachments" they have.

    So, in other words, it smokes the weed...

    --
    If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
  13. Re:Attn. Muslims: by martin_henry · · Score: 2, Funny

    this kind of idiocy really bothers me.

    I think i know how you feel.

    --
    www.purevolume.com/martyd
  14. What would be even cooler by transporter_ii · · Score: 5, Funny

    What would be even cooler, would be a weed growing robot. And if they come up with this, I think a fitting name would be Bender.

    Transporter_ii

    --
    Doctors destroy health, lawyers destroy justice, universities destroy knowledge, religion destroys spirituality
    1. Re:What would be even cooler by MillionthMonkey · · Score: 5, Funny

      What would be even cooler, would be a weed growing robot.

      That would be awesome... if the cops catch your robot tending to the weed it can be programmed to say uhh I forgot who I'm growing this hash for man I have only so much RAM to devote to remembering things and I just can't remember who programmed me to grow all this sticky bud and there's nothing the pigs can do because your robot will be programmed to enjoy prison and be willing to spend years there in standby mode to conserve battery life but if the grower is some guy you'd have to promise him that you'll commute his sentence so he can perjure himself all he wants for you knowing you'll eventually bail him out... but under the existing system you can't do that unless you're the president who must have access to a mean supply of weed because you can see how worried he's been looking lately.

    2. Re:What would be even cooler by cerberusss · · Score: 2, Funny

      [[quote of staggering line of bollocks]]

      Excuse me, what have you been smoking?

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      8 of 13 people found this answer helpful. Did you?
    3. Re:What would be even cooler by Evil+Cretin · · Score: 4, Funny

      Looks like someone has a punctuation-removing robot...

      --
      "A deadlock has been reached. One task must die. We must now choose between murder and suicide."
  15. I'm sorry, The Matrix was just on... by Valacosa · · Score: 3, Funny

    It's a good thing that humanity is a virus, not a weed.

    --
    "Live as if you'll die tomorrow." Ridiculous. You could die later today.
  16. When aliens land... by AndroidCat · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Take me to your weeder!"

    --
    One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
  17. Congratulations... by Dunbal · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm going to get shit for this but:

          So the Danes finally managed to clone "Mexicans"?

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    Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
  18. Hortibot not as popular as ... by SickLittleMonkey · · Score: 2, Funny

    The Haughtibot who is fluent "in over six million forms of communication."

    SLM

    --
    main() {1;} // zen app
  19. Ok, here we go... by feedmetrolls · · Score: 1, Funny

    In Soviet Russia, weeds kill YOU!

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  20. Re:It recognizes weeds? Excellent. What else? by ozmanjusri · · Score: 5, Funny
    Slow drivers! Stupid people! Luddites! Conservatives!

    Sarah Connor?

    --
    "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
  21. Re:Just get a herd of goats instead by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Sir, Here on slashdot I'm not clicking any link with GOAT in its name.

  22. Re:What does this thing look like? by Kristoph · · Score: 2, Funny

    I can just see it now, for each weed you get ...

    A weed is ready to be destroyed. Allow / Deny?

    ]{

  23. Pulling Weeds by Phoenix666 · · Score: 2, Funny

    is what grandkids are for. At least, that's what my grandparents told us.

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    Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.