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🇰🇷 South Korea /Technology

TYM launches autonomous robot inspired by duck farming to suppress weeds without herbicides

From Dong-A Ilbo · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • TYM launched the Igamo Robo, an autonomous robot designed to reduce chemical herbicide use by making weeds harder to germinate and grow in rice paddies.
  • Brushes beneath the six-kilogram robot stir the soil, increasing turbidity, reducing light penetration and covering weed seeds with sediment.
  • Company and university trials in Japan and South Korea found reduced weed growth, while GPS and a mobile app allow remote monitoring.

A South Korean agricultural machinery company is turning an old rice-farming idea into an autonomous robot. TYM’s Igamo Robo draws on the practice of releasing ducks into paddies, but uses moving water and mud rather than animals to suppress weeds.

The robot does not remove weeds that have already grown. Instead, brushes beneath its six-kilogram body stir the soil as it travels through the field. The resulting turbidity reduces sunlight entering the water, interferes with weed photosynthesis and allows settled mud particles to cover seeds, making germination more difficult.

The weed suppression rate confirmed in this trial rose sharply from 47.39% in the second week to 74.91% in the third week.

· Oh Ju-seonThe Chonnam National University professor described the domestic field-trial results.

TYM said a 2024 field trial in Japan kept weed growth below 50 grams per square meter, the target for organic cultivation. Before the domestic launch, the company also conducted trials in South Korean paddies with Chonnam National University. Researchers compared areas where the robot operated with untreated areas, measuring weed growth and rice development each week.

The accumulated turbidity created by the robot and its approximately 96% shading rate effectively blocked weeds’ early growth.

· Oh Ju-seonHe explained how the robot’s operating mechanism reduced weed growth.

The operated sections showed a clear reduction in weeds. Water turbidity after the robot passed exceeded twice the typical 100 to 200 NTU range for muddy water, while underwater light transmission fell below 3 percent. Professor Oh Ju-seon of Chonnam National University said weed suppression rose from 47.39 percent in the second week to 74.91 percent in the third. He added that researchers collected no weeds from the sections where the robot operated.

The robot starts moving autonomously when powered on and detects paddy embankments to change direction. GPS navigation and a dedicated app let users track its route, call it back, set tasks and use an anti-theft function. Solar power allows up to 10 hours of operation per day, and TYM says it can manage about 4,500 pyeong, or 1.5 hectares, daily.

Igamo Robo is a suitable solution for farms that want to reduce pesticide and herbicide use and produce high-quality organic rice.

· TYM representativeThe company described the intended market for the newly launched machine.

Farmers are expected to use it for three to five weeks after transplanting, when rice plants establish their roots and repeated weed control overlaps with the busiest farming period. TYM said the system is aimed at farms seeking to reduce pesticide and herbicide use while producing high-quality organic rice.

We will continue to supply smart agricultural machinery using AI and autonomous-driving technology to solve labor shortages in rural areas and support sustainable agriculture.

· TYM representativeThe company outlined its broader technology and agricultural goals.
About this summary

Originally published by Dong-A Ilbo in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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