Chinese researchers have recently developed an AI-powered crop-breeding robot called "GEAIR" (Genome Editing combined with AI-based Robotics), marking a major step toward fully automated and high-speed hybrid breeding. The breakthrough, published on August 11 in the international journal Cell, introduces a crop-robot co-design strategy for the first time.

This approach redesigns crop floral structures via gene editing, thus making the crop itself to be robot-friendly, according to the research team led by the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. By combining biotechnology with AI, it promises to overcome long-standing bottlenecks in hybrid breeding and seed production, reducing costs, shortening breeding cycles, and greatly improving efficiency.

Hybrid breeding is a vital method for enhancing crop yield and quality. Its critical step — achieving cross-pollination — still depends heavily on skilled labor performing repetitive operations, making the process both time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Now, the AI-based mobile breeding robot GEAIR offers a solution. Equipped with advanced computer vision powered by deep learning algorithms, the robot automatically scans and identifies flowers ready for pollination, specifically recognizing the exserted stigmas. The AI-guided robotic arm then moves into position with precision, gently delivering pollen onto the exposed stigma.

The study also demonstrated that GEAIR can achieve cross-pollination efficiency on par with skilled human technicians. Unlike humans, however, the robot operates around the clock, unaffected by fatigue or the need for breaks.