A solar-powered, AI-equipped wheeled robot is hard at work in a California cotton field, deftly navigating between crop rows to pull weeds, unfazed by the midday heat.

Across the United States, farms are grappling with two major challenges: labor shortages and weeds developing resistance to herbicides. In response, startup Aigen has launched the Element robot. Co-founder and CTO Richard Wurden, a former Tesla engineer for five years, says the solution saves farmers money, protects the environment, and prevents harmful chemicals from entering the food chain. He was inspired to develop the robot after farming relatives told him that weeding costs were sky-high, weeds had become immune to herbicides, and labor shortages left chemical spraying as the only option. Co-founder and CEO Kenny Lee adds that farmers use chemicals simply as a tool, and the company is working to create an alternative.

The robot resembles a large wheeled table topped with solar panels and equipped with metal arms fitted with small blades that dig into the soil. It mimics human behavior—operating on solar power during the day, shutting down at night to "sleep," and resuming work the next morning. Its onboard AI uses cameras to track crop rows and identify weeds.

Aigen's vision is to "upskill" workers who previously toiled in scorching heat, enabling them instead to monitor and troubleshoot robots. The machines communicate wirelessly with a small control center via onboard AI, promptly alerting operators to any issues. The robot can operate in tomato, cotton, and sugar beet fields and claims to remove weeds without damaging crops. Lee estimates that five robots can clear weeds from approximately 160 acres (65 hectares).

The Redmond-based startup (near Seattle) with 25 employees sells each robot for $50,000. The company aims to win over politically conservative farmers with a climate-friendly solution that powers heavy machinery using solar energy instead of expensive diesel. Lee notes that while the word "climate" has become politicized, farmers care deeply about their land.

The technology has caught the attention of Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud computing arm of e-commerce giant Amazon. Aigen was selected for AWS's "Climate Pledge" startup program, which provides AI tools, data center power, and technical support to climate-focused startups. Lisbeth Kaufman, Head of Climate Tech Startup Business Development at AWS, says Aigen has the potential to become an industry giant—comparable to Ford with the Model T or Edison with the light bulb.