Bethlehem teen invents AI-powered robot to kill weeds, reduce pesticide use and save the environment
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Bethlehem teen invents AI-powered robot to kill weeds, reduce pesticide use and save the environment
Aryash Shyam, 13, is the Pennsylvania State Merit Winner in the 2025 3M Young Scientist Challenge. The GreenBeam is a self-driving, autonomous robot that kills weeds with a laser. Aryash learned that pesticides pollute the oceans, killing plants and marine life. The final prototype is being tested for safety and efficacy by Penn State University in its biotechnology program. program is called “Biotechnology for Life’s Sake’’ and aims to help people make better decisions about their environment and the environment. The program is funded by 3M and the Pennsylvania Department of Education, among others. The competition is open to high school and college students in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. and Maryland. The winner will be announced in late June. For more information on the competition, visit 3M.com/YoungScientist or go to http://www.3m.com/.
It’s a self-driving, autonomous robot that’s powered by artificial intelligence to kill weeds with a laser, eliminating the need for pesticides, which can be an environmental hazard.
The GreenBeam recently got Aryash, 13, named the Pennsylvania State Merit Winner in the 2025 3M Young Scientist Challenge, put on by the manufacturing giant 3M and the education technology leader Discovery Education.
“He’s a super well-rounded student who just does a really good job in anything he puts his mind to.” Jeremy Schafer, Lehigh Valley Academy middle school principal
Aryash said he was excited to learn his project was the statewide winner when it was announced in late June.
“It brings me closer to my goal of using science to help people,” said Aryash, a rising eighth-grader at Lehigh Valley Academy Regional Charter School in Bethlehem.
Jeremy Schafer, LVA middle school principal, said he wasn’t surprised to learn Aryash had won the statewide contest because he’s “very driven” and “not afraid to take the risk and put himself out there.”
“He’s a super well-rounded student who just does a really good job in anything he puts his mind to,” Schafer said.
Aryash said he came up with the idea for his climate technology project after seeing residents using chemicals, such as glyphosate, to maintain their lawns.
He wondered what impact the pesticides had when they were washed down our storm drains.
Environmental impact
After doing research, Aryash learned that pesticides travel to the oceans, harming underwater wildlife and increasing the water’s temperature, which in turn leads to rising sea levels.
As part of his research process, Aryash interviewed Emily Frost, a New Zealand-based marine biologist, about the environmental impact of pesticides.
Aryash learned that pesticides pollute the oceans, killing plants and marine life that other underwater species depend on for food, he said.
The chemicals also can create a toxic algae that prevents plants below from getting the sunlight they need, Aryash said. That algae also can harm coral reefs that feed on it.
“If we don’t do something to stop it, the effects will keep getting worse,” Aryash said.
Jenny Roberts / LehighValleyNews.com An early prototype of the GreenBeam sits on artificial grass. Aryash improved a later version by making it waterproof, faster to detect weeds and better at traveling on hills.
That’s where the GreenBeam comes in.
The robot’s laser burns a weed’s meristem, killing it in a split second and ensuring it’s gone forever, Aryash said.
If homeowners used the GreenBeam instead of pesticides, that could slow global warming by keeping chemicals out of the oceans, he said.
Creating the GreenBeam
To create the GreenBeam, Aryash used the programming language Python to develop an AI model and to control how the robot moves, adjusting its speed and avoiding obstacles.
He contacted The University of Sydney in Australia to access its database of weed photos, which he used to train his AI model, so it could detect weeds and avoid other plants.
“AI and robotics are not buzzwords anymore. Automation is moving at lightning speed.” Sona Shyam, Aryash’s mother
Aryash developed a prototype of the GreenBeam, then improved a later version by making it waterproof, faster to detect weeds and better at traveling on hills, he said.
He began working on the project about six months ago. Now the final prototype of the GreenBeam is being tested for safety and efficacy by Penn State University in its biotechnology lab.
With the help of his parents, who are both computer engineers, Aryash said he hopes to one day commercialize the GreenBeam and turn it into a household product.
“AI and robotics are not buzzwords anymore,” Aryash’s mother, Sona Shyam, said. “Automation is moving at lightning speed.
“I just feel he’s focused on the right things, and he’s using it to improve society and to make advancements in the tech field.
“So we’re all excited about all the innovations he’s going to come up with.”