Progress in a Development of a Laser-Based Weed Control System

Abstract

This paper investigates the influence of CO2 laser as a non-contact tool for weed control application. The study aims specifically to the unfocused beam treatment for distant targets. The spatial profile of the laser beam was analyzed. The characteristics of the laser beams at targeted distance were explored. These results demonstrate the potential of CO2 laser as promising alternative for an efficient weed control. In addition, a laser triangulation system based on laser pointers is proposed as a tool for distance measurements to estimate the distance of cutting targets. The system is compacted and economic which can be simply used in technological, scientific and educational applications.