Aigen, the agricultural technology company aiming to help reduce chemical usage through smarter farming, has unveiled its Element gen2 robot for daily weed control. (See video below.)
The company also announced a strategic partnership with Bowles Farming Company, a sixth-generation family farm in California’s Central Valley, that will see robotic crews weeding Bowles Cotton fields for the 2025 growing season, marking a significant expansion for Aigen into new crop types.
Updated based on 10,000+ hours of real-world farm experience, Element gen2 features a wider, taller design enabling operation in cotton, soy, and sugar beet fields – expanding Aigen’s addressable fields by millions of acres worldwide while helping American farmers increase yields and grow more attractive crops for export.
The solar-powered robots use onboard AI vision to identify and eliminate weeds with precise ground strikes.
Kenny Lee, CEO of Aigen, says: “With Element gen2, we’ve applied everything we’ve learned about what farmers actually need in a practical weeding solution.
“Our robotic crews are now working in real cotton fields, providing a smarter alternative that reduces chemical use while increasing yields.
“Working with the renowned Bowles Farming Company validates that our robots deliver reliable, cost‑effective weed control for today’s diverse farming operations.”
Farm-tough robots
Key improvements to the Element gen2 include:
- Expanded crop compatibility – Now works in cotton, soy, and sugar beet fields.
- 50 percent more power – Enhanced solar panels and battery storage system ensure all-day operation without fuel
- 4x AI compute – Significantly faster weed identification and dynamic crew coordination
- New stereo depth perception – Improved accuracy for detecting weeds at various growth stages and more precise weed strikes
Each ruggedized Element robot includes all-wheel drive to handle real farm conditions – rain, mud, slopes, and rough terrain—and is built for extreme durability.
Partnership with Bowles Farming Company
The partnership with Bowles Farming Company, known for combining agricultural expertise with cutting-edge practices, represents a significant milestone in proving the technology’s effectiveness and scalability.
Cannon Michael, president and CEO of Bowles Farming Company, says: “At Bowles, we’re always looking at emerging technologies that have the potential to help us farm more sustainably and efficiently.
“Aigen’s autonomous robot crews are a novel approach to managing weeds without relying on traditional chemical tools.
“We’ve begun working with the Element gen2 units in our Pima cotton fields for the 2025 season, and while it’s still early, we’re looking forward to evaluating their performance as the season progresses.
“Understanding how these machines perform at scale and under real-world conditions will help us determine their long-term fit in our operation.”
A sustainable solution
The Element platform is designed around three principles that leverage autonomous modularity to achieve long-term scale:
- Powered by the Sun – Robots run 100 percent on solar power with battery backup
- Truly Autonomous Farming – Intelligent mesh network allows robots to communicate as a crew, with no farmer intervention needed
- Farm Tough – Built specifically for agricultural environments, from rainfall to rough terrain
Lee says: “Farmers are facing increasing challenges from herbicide-resistant weeds with rising chemical costs and major labor shortages.
“Our robot crews provide a practical alternative that works with nature rather than against it.”
Aigen is now accepting orders for the 2026 growing season. Interested farmers are encouraged to contact the company and secure their robotic crew before availability runs out.
