Orbiba Robotics CEO İlker Bektaş joined Radio Sputnik's Yeni Şeyler Rehberi programme on 30 December 2024 to discuss CERN Venture Connect and the potential agricultural role of Structured Laser Beam (SLB) technology. Rather than repeating the programme-admission announcement, the interview helps explain what the collaboration could mean in practical terms for farmers.

Aiming for precision with lower energy demand

Bektaş described a development path in which structured light from a relatively simple laser source could be applied to plant recognition, weed detection and interventions intended to stop weed growth. Computer vision would identify the target, while the laser subsystem would deliver energy in a controlled, localised way.

SLB is not presented as a ready-made agricultural product on its own. CERN expertise and licensing need to be combined with Orbiba's robotics research in an engineering and validation process. The report therefore documents a product-development direction; it should not be read as proof of completed field performance.

What it could change for a farmer

• Limit unnecessary energy use through targeted treatment
• Complement mechanical modules in reducing reliance on chemical herbicides
• Use battery capacity more effectively on lightweight robot platforms
• Connect crop perception and treatment in one precision workflow

The interview also highlights access to international investors and technology stakeholders through the programme. Yet the collaboration's real value extends beyond a credential. A photonics concept developed in a laboratory must still demonstrate safe, measurable and economical operation under dusty, variable field conditions.

This conversation is therefore a technical bridge between Orbiba Robotics' CERN relationship and everyday agricultural problems. Energy use, treatment accuracy and biological effectiveness can only be assessed conclusively as validated field results become available.

Source: Sputnik Türkiye — A First in Agricultural Technology