---
title: "Harvested Robotics Builds AI Laser Weeder for Indian Farms"
description: "The Hyderabad startup, backed by Anand Mahindra and Arali Ventures, uses cameras and blue lasers to kill weeds without chemicals."
url: "https://bharat.digital/originals/harvested-robotics-rakshak-ai-laser-weeder/index.md"
canonical: "https://bharat.digital/originals/harvested-robotics-rakshak-ai-laser-weeder/"
published: "2026-10-29T20:53:00+05:30"
updated: "2026-10-29T20:53:00+05:30"
section: "Originals"
type: "startup"
author: "bharat.digital desk"
image: "https://bharat.digital/img/originals/harvested-robotics-rakshak-ai-laser-weeder-auto-85f3dd4d-og.jpg"
language: "en-IN"
site: "bharat.digital"
---

# Harvested Robotics builds a tractor-mounted AI laser weeder for Indian farms

*The Hyderabad startup, backed by Anand Mahindra and Arali Ventures, uses cameras and blue lasers to kill weeds without chemicals.*

By bharat.digital desk. Startup, Startups & Fintech. Published 2026-10-29T20:53:00+05:30. 1 min read.

![Harvested Robotics builds a tractor-mounted AI laser weeder for Indian farms](https://bharat.digital/img/originals/harvested-robotics-rakshak-ai-laser-weeder-auto-85f3dd4d-hero.webp)

## At a glance

- Company: Harvested Robotics
- What it does: AI and laser weeding robots that mount on tractors
- Based in: Hyderabad
- Latest: Rakshak laser weeder backed by Mahindra University
- Date: 2026-03-06
- Founders: Rahul Arepaka, George Mathew

Harvested Robotics, founded in Hyderabad in 2023 by Rahul Arepaka and George Mathew, is building Rakshak, a laser weeding system that attaches to a tractor. Cameras running an AI model spot weeds, and high-power lasers moved by robotic actuators fire at them while the tractor keeps moving, Arepaka told Inc42.

In March 2025 the company raised Rs 5 Cr in a pre-seed round led by Arali Ventures, with Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra and Country Delight co-founder Chakradhar Gade taking part, Inc42 reported. In March 2026, NDTV Profit reported that Mahindra University had invested in the startup and housed it at its on-campus incubator, after Anand Mahindra highlighted the founders on X.

NITI Aayog's Frontier Tech hub reports that Rakshak uses blue lasers, detects weeds with 90% accuracy and tracks them with 5 mm precision, and puts its price at Rs 10 lakh. It says manual weeding can cost farmers up to Rs 60,000 a season. Arepaka told Inc42 the product could cut weeding costs by 40 to 50%. These are company and government figures; large-scale field results have not yet been published.

## Sources

1. [Inc42: Harvested Robotics bags funding to build AI-powered laser weeding solutions](https://inc42.com/buzz/harvested-robotics-bags-funding-to-build-ai-powered-laser-weeding-solutions/)
2. [NDTV Profit: Mahindra backs Hyderabad duo behind India's first AI laser weed-killer](https://www.ndtvprofit.com/business/mahindra-backs-hyderabad-duo-behind-india-s-first-ai-laser-weed-killer-11176119)
3. [NITI Frontier Tech: AI-powered laser weeding technology](https://frontiertech.niti.gov.in/story/ai-powered-laser-weeding-technology-a-sustainable-solution-for-indian-agriculture/)

First spotted in a post on X: https://x.com/RuntimeBRT/status/2115021104754684124

Written by the bharat.digital desk from the sources above. Figures are as reported by those sources.