Weed Removal Robot

Project Skill Highlights

Developed AI model for detecting yard weeds
Finite Element Analysis (FEA) using Ansys Mechanical & Autodesk Inventor
Circuitry to integrate AI vision and motor function
Leadership
Prototype fabrication & testing

Project Summary

This was my capstone project which aimed to integrate modern AI technology to help automate weed removal in an effective, efficient and sustainable way.

The team was able to create a design for a weed removal robot that would operate in a home lawn or garden, paired along a custom trained computer vision model utilizing YOLOV11, which would detect weeds through a mounted camera and distinguish them from other plants and crops. The extraction mechanism included a drill mounted on a vertical lead screw movement system that would destroy the weed and roots while a vacuum would suck up the remains, leaving only a small hole in its place. Thorough analysis was performed on the components that would be subjected to load in operation using FEA simulation tools to ensure that the design would not fail.

Throughout the duration of this capstone project I took up a leadership role within my group, organizing weekly meetings with our supervising professor and other meetings with lab technicians. I would take notes throughout the meetings to help delegate tasks to my teammates to ensure we continued progressing at an appropriate rate.

In the end we were able to create a working prototype of our design that was capable of achieving our goal of both detecting, and extracting weeds from the ground.