Harper Adams University leads way in weeding with robots
Shropshire's only university is leading cutting edge research into robotic weeding in a bid to help address the problem of labour shortage in some parts of the world.
Dr Hu Lian, an academic from South China Agricultural University, has completed six months research at Harper Adams University in Edgmond, near Newport.
He is among a number of researchers who hope the development of agricultural robots will ultimately lead to the reduction in the amount of chemicals used.
They also want to address the lack of labour in some parts of the world, be more cost effective, increase safety, and reduce the amount of energy used.
Dr Hu returned to China on Saturday, from where he plans to continue developing and testing robotic systems for identifying and eliminating weeds.
Farmers usually deal with weeds by either spraying entire fields or by using farm workers to physically remove weeds by hand.
During his last day with the engineering department at the Shropshire institution, Dr Hu, who spoke no English when he arrived on campus, gave a presentation of his work to lecturers, colleagues and friends.
The 28-year-old, who is an electronics engineer and has spent 10 years in his specialist field, said: "It was very good being here – everybody has been very friendly."
David Giles, senior lecturer in engineering at Harper Adams, said: "In many parts of the world labour is becoming scarcer in the countryside and because labour is not available crops are failing.
"There is quite a pressing need to help develop the technology to replace labour.
"We have been very lucky to have Hu Lian at the university. He is a very talented young man. He has done remarkably well in six months to have achieved what he has done."
