Carbon Robotics has launched a Large Plant Model, an AI system that instantly recognises plant species and enables farmers to target new weeds without retraining their LaserWeeder robots. The Seattle-based company announced the model on Monday. The LPM is trained on over 150 million photos collected from more than 100 farms across 15 countries where Carbon Robotics' autonomous weed-killing machines operate. Previously, identifying new weeds required 24 hours of retraining; now farmers can designate targets in real time through the robot's interface. Founded in 2018, Carbon Robotics has raised over $185 million from backers including Nvidia NVentures, Bond and Anthos Capital. The model will reach existing systems through a software update, with continuous refinement as machines collect additional data.

Seattle ag-tech startup Carbon Robotics raised $20M to develop a new AI-powered farm robot. Known for its LaserWeeder and Autonomous Tractor Kit, the company plans to unveil the new machine in nine months. The robot will use AI, computer vision, and machine learning to perform tasks beyond weeding. Carbon Robotics, backed by NVIDIA and Voyager Capital, has raised $177M to date and employs 260 people. The company is expanding its manufacturing to the Netherlands to enhance European deployment.

GeekWire’s startup coverage documents the Pacific Northwest entrepreneurial scene. Sign up for our weekly startup newsletter , and check out the GeekWire funding tracker and venture capital directory .Carbon Robotics vice president of product John Mey, left, and founder and CEO Paul Mikesell, with a tractor outfitted with the company’s new Carbon AutoTractor and its LaserWeeder. (GeekWire Photo)Long gone are the days on the farm where getting up at the crack of dawn to run a tractor through fields might have been just the start of a long day’s work. Now, the tractor could very well have been running all night — by itself.That’s the vision of Seattle agriculture-tech startup Carbon Robotics, whose latest product is called Carbon AutoTractor, an AI-powered, autonomous platform designed to fit on and control existing equipment and serve as an answer to labor shortages and increased productivity in farming.“We learned from farmers that their biggest challenges continue to be around labor and labor availability,” said Carbon Robotics founder and CEO Paul Mikesell. “If they could, they would run everything 24/7. They would run everything every minute of farming season to get as much done as possible.”Founded in 2018, Carbon Robotics has been chiefly known for its signature LaserWeeder machinery, which can be pulled behind a tractor and uses an array of AI and computer vision tech to detect plants in fields and then target and eliminate weeds with lasers