Aigen, the company building autonomous, solar-powered robots for agriculture, today announced Element Gen 2 X4. With more onboard capability, the company's newest robot combines mechanical weed control with plant-level data and field-level analytics. Element Gen 2 X4 is already deployed with Fortune 500 companies for weed control, data collection, and analytics.

Farmers face 275 herbicide-resistant weed species worldwide, while synthetic herbicides are prohibited for weed control in organic crops. Also, as weeds grow larger, postemergence herbicide control can become less reliable, while the additional time and energy required for laser treatment can make laser weeding economically impractical.

Element removes weeds mechanically at the root, in the row and between rows, including weeds up to 6 inches in foliage diameter. This gives growers a chemical-free option for removing larger weeds and continuing weed control as the growing season progresses.

“Our Element Gen 2 X4 gives growers herbicide-free weed control, plus plant-level data and field-level analytics, at a predictable per-acre cost," says Kenny Lee, co-founder and CEO of Aigen. "Element fleets deliver targeted weed removal at field scale, in the row and between rows, operating autonomously on solar power.”

Element Gen 2 X4 is cost-competitive with higher-cost weed-control programs that rely on cultivation, hand labor, or a combination of herbicides and mechanical control. Aigen sees a path to further cost reductions that could make Element competitive with a broader range of conventional herbicide programs.

Upgrading to four independently operating arms was a critical technical breakthrough for Aigen and Element, enabling each robot to cover more rows more effectively. Aigen's custom edge AI identifies every plant and directs all four arms to only the weeds, in real time, as the robot moves. Two- and three-arm (X2, X3) configurations remain available.

Every robot runs entirely on solar, with a solar-charged battery backup, and works as part of a coordinated fleet. No driver, no fuel, no charging infrastructure.

Element Gen 2 X4 records weed density going into a field and removal coming out, giving growers a plant-level record of what was there and what was removed on every pass.

Aigen has built more than 100 robots and logged more than 15,000 autonomous hours in the field across multiple generations. Element is designed for 10,000 active operating hours or 8 years, and carries a two-year bumper-to-bumper warranty.