内容来源：https://www.geekwire.com/2026/seattle-startup-carbon-robotics-gets-another-shoutout-from-rfk-jr-for-its-weed-zapping-robots/

内容总结：

美国卫生与公众服务部部长罗伯特·F·肯尼迪近日在热门播客节目中，公开点赞西雅图农业科技公司Carbon Robotics研发的激光除草机器人，称其为“减少农药使用、降低农民成本”的创新方案。该公司利用人工智能与激光技术精准识别并清除杂草，且不破坏土壤微生物环境，展现了农业科技发展的新方向。

肯尼迪在节目中透露，得克萨斯州最大的洋葱生产商通过使用该设备，每英亩节省成本超过1000美元。他强调，此类技术为农业转型提供了“隧道尽头的光”，应加速推广以助力农药减量化。Carbon Robotics创始人兼首席执行官保罗·米克塞尔随后回应称，希望将人工智能、自动驾驶等前沿技术更广泛应用于农业领域，提升生产效率并促进健康食品生产。

据悉，Carbon Robotics成立于2018年，目前已融资1.77亿美元，其激光除草机已在全球15国家的数百个农场投入使用。公司近期还发布了全球首个“大型植物模型”AI系统，可基于1.5亿株标记植物数据进行快速识别，并正研发新一代AI农业机械。这一系列进展显示出科技正在为可持续农业注入新动能。

中文翻译：

美国卫生与公众服务部部长罗伯特·F·肯尼迪近日在热门播客《乔·罗根体验》2025年全球收听榜首特辑中，为西雅图农业科技初创企业Carbon Robotics的除草机器人公开点赞。这家公司制造的农业机器人能帮助农民在不使用化学药剂的情况下清除杂草。

肯尼迪指出，这项技术既能消除农田的农药使用，又能帮助农民节约成本。他透露近期会见了三位使用Carbon除草设备的农户——该设备可悬挂于拖拉机后方，通过人工智能技术识别田间作物，并利用激光精准清除杂草，且不破坏土壤微生物环境。

据肯尼迪介绍，得克萨斯州最大的洋葱种植户通过使用Carbon设备，因减少农药和人工成本，每英亩可节省超过1000美元。谈及农药问题时他强调："我们必须摆脱对农药的依赖，要为农民提供转型路径。"他补充道："这些令人振奋的新技术让我们看到转型的曙光，且进程可能非常迅速。总统希望加速这一转型进程。"

Carbon Robotics首席执行官兼创始人保罗·米克塞尔随后发布视频回应肯尼迪的言论。他表示："我们希望在该领域获得更多投资，将我们在人工智能、自动驾驶等领域创造的新技术更多应用于农业，从而提升农民生产效率，提供更健康的食品。"

关于农药与Carbon技术的讨论始于该期播客第1分51秒处。本月初，肯尼迪在播客节目《上周末》中同样提及Carbon设备，对能减少农田农药使用的新技术作出类似评价。

成立于2018年的Carbon Robotics迄今已融资1.77亿美元，拥有约260名员工。公司在华盛顿州里奇兰设有制造工厂，其激光除草机已应用于全球15个国家的数百个农场。米克塞尔作为资深技术专家兼连续创业者，曾联合创立数据存储公司Isilon Systems（2010年以22.5亿美元出售），并在优步担任基础设施工程负责人四年。

本月早些时候，Carbon宣布推出全球首个"大型植物模型"——专用于植物检测识别的人工智能模型。公司声明称，该模型基于1.5亿株标记植物构建的农业数据集训练而成，能使农民在数分钟内对任意田地或作物启动激光除草。

去年十月，Carbon获得2000万美元新融资，用于开发尚未公开的AI农业机械。此前公司已推出Carbon ATK自主平台，可适配并控制现有农业设备。公司投资方包括BOND、Anthos Capital、FUSE、Ignition、Revolution、Sozo Ventures及Voyager等机构。

英文来源：

Carbon Robotics, the Seattle startup that builds robots used by farmers to eliminate weeds without the use of chemicals, got another vote of confidence from the nation’s health policy leader.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. secretary of health and human services, touted the company’s machines on a new episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, the popular long-form podcast that topped Spotify’s global list in 2025.
Kennedy said the technology is a way to both eliminate pesticides from farms and help farmers save costs. He said he recently met with three farmers using Carbon’s machine, which attaches to the back of a tractor and uses an array of AI-powered technology to detect plants in fields and then target and eliminate weeds with lasers, without disturbing the soil microbiology.
The largest onion producer in Texas saves more than $1,000 per acre by using Carbon’s machines due to reduction of pesticide use and labor costs, Kennedy said.
“We got to get off this stuff, we got to give these farmers an off-ramp so that they can get off it,” he said of pesticide use. He added: “There are all these kind of new exciting technologies that give us a light at the end of tunnel to transition. And it could be very, very fast. What the president wants to do is accelerate that.”
Carbon Robotics CEO and founder Paul Mikesell followed up with video commentary responding to Kennedy’s comments on the podcast.
“We want to see more investment in the space, more ways in which we can take the newer technologies that we’ve been creating — for things like AI, self-driving cars, etc. — and apply it toward farming and our agriculture sector so that farmers are more productive and we get healthier food,” Mikesell said.
The conversation about pesticides and Carbon’s technology starts at the 1:51 mark on the episode.
Earlier this month Kennedy cited Carbon’s machines on an episode of the Theo Von podcast “This Past Weekend,” making similar comments about new technology that can curb the use of pesticides on farms.
Founded in 2018, Carbon has raised $177 million to date and employs about 260 people. It runs a manufacturing facility in Richland, Wash., and Mikesell previously said its LaserWeeder machines are active on hundreds of farms and in 15 countries around the world.
Mikesell is a longtime technologist and entrepreneur who previously co-founded data storage company Isilon Systems (which sold for $2.25 billion in 2010) and led an infrastructure engineering group at Uber for four years.
Earlier this month, Carbon announced the launch of what it calls the world’s first “Large Plant Model” — an AI model for plant detection and identification. “Trained on the largest, most diverse, and fastest growing agricultural dataset ever built with 150 million labeled plants, the LPM enables farmers to start laser weeding any field or crop in minutes,” the company said in a news release.
Last October, Carbon raised $20 million in new funding to support the creation of another piece of AI-powered machinery for farms that it has yet to reveal. Carbon previously unveiled the Carbon ATK, an autonomous platform designed to fit on and control existing farm equipment.
The company’s backers include BOND; Anthos Capital; FUSE, Ignition; Revolution; Sozo Ventures; and Voyager.