China unveils AI-powered robot designed to help farmers breed better strains of wheat

China has introduced a cutting-edge AI-powered robot prototype at a recent wheat breeding seminar, aimed at revolutionizing agricultural technology and enhancing food security. Traditional wheat breeders face laborious and subjective manual assessments of hybrid offspring, but the new robot simplifies the process using advanced navigation, high-definition cameras, and sophisticated vision algorithms.

The 2-meter tall robot autonomously inspects crops, envelops a single wheat ear with its robotic arm, and captures detailed images from multiple angles using eight micro-cameras. This data, including grain count and ear length, is then converted into quantitative analysis. The robot's unique feature lies in its integration of extensive breeder experience into its training model, achieved by planting 2,000 diverse wheat genetic materials in various environments.

Breeding specialists assessed the images, which were then transformed into machine-readable data to build an intelligent decision-making model. This model enables the robot to conduct rapid, large-scale screening and evaluation of crops suitable for future breeding. The research team has partnered with Shandong Jizhi Biotech, a firm specializing in gene technology and intelligent breeding applications, to develop a commercialized AI wheat-breeding robot.

The central government has also outlined plans to strengthen agricultural research and development, increase the contribution of technology to farm output, and promote the wider adoption of artificial intelligence in agriculture.