Development of an Autonomous Mobile Cobotic Platform for Targeted Herbicide Dispersion

 Invasive vegetation presents significant ecological and economic challenges across various environments. Recent years have seen considerable development in agricultural automation targeting weed eradication and control. However, these developments have focused on farmland, and urban environments have received far less attention. This paper describes a proof-of-concept study on the use of a mobile cobotic platform for targeted herbicide delivery on hard surfaces. The paper introduces a rapidly prototyped system, including a cobot, a single-board computer, a camera, and an herbicide dispersal mechanism, all mounted on a mobile platform. Computer vision algorithms are employed to execute targeted herbicide delivery. Experimental validation confirms the usefulness of the platform in urban environments.