How Carbon Robotics built the large plant model for its laser weeding robot - The Robot Report

Carbon Robotics, led by founder and CEO Paul Mikesell, has developed a sophisticated large plant model (LPM) that powers its laser-weeding robots operating in 14 countries across diverse crops and conditions. The company’s journey began when Mikesell recognized the significant challenges in agriculture, particularly in weed management, which is traditionally costly and inefficient. To address this, Carbon Robotics focused on rapidly delivering a working solution rather than pursuing an overly ambitious vision from the start. The team spent extensive time on farms collecting real-world data, personally capturing and labeling images to build a high-quality dataset essential for training their AI system. A key innovation was the development of an advanced lighting system for the robot’s cameras, producing clear, shadow-free images regardless of outdoor lighting conditions. This system uses flashes five times brighter than the sun but with a low duty cycle to avoid discomfort, ensuring consistent image quality throughout the day, including during sunrise and sunset. This meticulous data collection and labeling process enabled Carbon Robotics to create a