AI-Powered Robots to Transform Crop Breeding

A team of researchers has developed a breakthrough system that combines biotechnology and artificial intelligence (AI) to automate crop breeding. The technology, called GEAIR (Genome Editing with Artificial-Intelligence-based Robots), is designed to genetically engineer crops for robot compatibility and deploy AI-driven robots to perform cross-pollination efficiently. The findings of the study are published in Cell.

Scientists used the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technique to engineer plants targeting male sterility and exposed stigmas to make the crop easier for robots to pollinate. This “crop-robot co-design” approach allows GEAIR robots to identify flowers ready for pollination, deposit pollen precisely onto the exposed stigma, and work continuously to cut labor costs and time.

The results showed that GEAIR's cross-pollination efficiency is comparable to skilled human technicians. This breakthrough opens possibilities for other tasks, such as self-pollination aid, automated pollen collection, and phenotypic selection. Researchers say the system has the potential to accelerate the development of high-yielding, climate-resilient, and more sustainable crops across multiple species. They describe the innovation as a shift from the Green Revolution to a new “Robot Revolution” in agriculture.

For more information, read the article from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology in the Chinese Academy of Sciences website.