On July 7, in a cotton field in Yushugou Town, Changji City, Xinjiang, a sturdy "steel farmer" was busy "removing the cap" for cotton.

On the same day, after being demonstrated by the Autonomous Region Agricultural and Rural Mechanization Development Center, the world's first cotton laser topping robot built by Xinjiang University and Xinjiang Jimu Robotics Technology Co., Ltd. was officially unveiled, marking the entry of cotton topping into the high-tech era.

As the first cotton topping robot equipped with solid-state laser radar, this product integrates leading laser radar and visual fusion technology, achieving a major breakthrough in navigation accuracy and environmental adaptability, and pushing cotton topping robot technology to a new height.

Professor Zhou Jianping's team at Xinjiang University has been deeply involved in the field of intelligent agricultural machinery and equipment for many years, and has a deep understanding of cotton growth characteristics, topping needs, etc. The team spent three years, countless experiments and explorations, and combined cutting-edge technologies such as sensors, machine vision, and laser control technology, combined with Xinjiang's unique "one film and six rows" planting model, to successfully develop this cotton laser topping robot that can adapt to field operation scenes in complex environments.

After multiple field tests, the robot's cotton top bud recognition accuracy rate is 98.9%, the seedling injury rate is less than 3%, and the topping qualification rate is more than 82%. Its core indicators still have a large room for iteration and improvement. After all functions are realized, the robot's operating efficiency can reach 6-8 mu per hour, which is more than 10 times the efficiency of manual operation.

"The core of this technology is that the robot can stare at moving targets and shoot accurately, avoiding the phenomenon of missed shots and mis-shooting that may occur in traditional topping methods." Professor Zhou Jianping explained. How difficult is this? He compared it to shooting a moving target with a moving gun. The tops of cotton are different in height, and the airflow when the robot is working will also make the cotton plants shake. But this robot is equipped with "smart eyes" that can quickly and accurately find the top position of each cotton plant. At the same time, the high temperature generated instantly by the high-power blue laser on board can accurately burn and inactivate the cotton buds, which can effectively break the growth advantage of the top of the cotton plant, allowing nutrients to be concentrated on the side branches and cotton bolls, promoting cotton yields.

It is understood that compared with traditional mechanical cutting and chemical topping methods, laser topping has the advantages of non-contact and non-damage, greatly reducing damage to other parts of the cotton plant, reducing environmental pollution, and can be operated during the day and night.

"Cotton topping has always been the last "hard bone" in the mechanization chain of cotton production." Pei Xinmin, a researcher at the Autonomous Region Agricultural and Rural Mechanization Development Center, said, "The birth and application of this cotton laser topping robot means that my country's cotton production is about to achieve true full mechanization."

Pei Xinmin believes that this achievement is a major breakthrough in artificial intelligence serving smart agriculture. Its application can not only promote the upgrading of Xinjiang's cotton industry, but also serve as a benchmark case, providing a replicable technical paradigm for smart agriculture and accelerating the process of agricultural intelligence.