Meet the Robot Changing How Illinois Farmers Fight Weeds


By Tara Desmond May 21, 2026

What if your sprayer never needed a driver and used 90% less chemical in the process? That's not a far-off vision. It's already rolling through cornfields across the Midwest.


On the latest episode of IL Corn TV, host Shane Gray welcomed Taylor Wetli, US Commercial Manager for Solinftec, to talk about the Solix Autonomous Sprayer — a solar-powered, AI-driven robot that's quietly rewriting the rules of weed management.


Solix moves across fields on a 40-foot boom equipped with eight cameras, each controlling three independent nozzles. Onboard, Solinftec's proprietary "Alice AI" runs in real time, identifying weeds among corn and soybean plants at every growth stage and in varying soil and tillage conditions. The result? The robot sprays everything that isn't the crop and only that. Depending on weed pressure, growers are seeing chemical reductions anywhere from the seventies to the high nineties, all from a unit with just a 56-gallon dual-tank system.


Because it's solar-powered and charges a lithium-ion battery as it works, Solix can run day and night. That expanded time window is one of the key advantages Wetli highlighted — the ability to get out early, spray often, and never let weeds like waterhemp get a competitive foothold in the field.


The fleet model is another mindset shift. Rather than one massive machine covering thousands of acres, Solinftec recommends one unit per 300–400 acres. A 2,000-acre operation might run four or five units simultaneously, with the added resilience that rain or downtime in one area doesn't shut down the whole operation.


The technology is currently available in about a dozen states, and Solinftec is actively working with organizations like the Association of Equipment Manufacturers on targeted application standards that could tie into future farm bill language.


Watch the full episode below to learn more about Solix.


Not a member?

Become one today!

SHARE THIS

Latest Posts

Photo taken in McLean County Museum of History
By Tara Desmond May 21, 2026
Illinois Ag Across Time - Episode 2: Tracing 200 years of Illinois farm families, innovation, and the land that fed a nation.
Don Meyer
By Tara Desmond May 21, 2026
Illinois Ag Across Time — Tracing 200 years of Illinois farm families, innovation, and the land that fed a nation.
Hammer striking corn kernels on a wooden surface, with kernels scattering in a rustic barn setting
By Lyndi Allen May 21, 2026
Ethanol is a powerhouse for American farms, fuels American vehicles, and has strengthened America’s economy for decades, but remains one of the most misunderstood fuels on the road today.
agronomy angle
By Matt Montgomery May 18, 2026
Watch for fireflies and cottonwood fluff - they tell you exactly when rootworms are hatching and whether spring rains actually hurt their numbers.
thumnail of shane and Greg
By Tara Desmond May 14, 2026
Greg Peterson of the Peterson Farm Brothers joins IL Corn TV to discuss viral ag content, growing a family farm, and building a social media brand.
crop progress photo
By Tara Desmond May 14, 2026
Nitrogen, Family, Scholarships, Agronomy, Advocacy and More. Check out April stories featuring some amazing people.
cover crops
By Tara Desmond May 14, 2026
16-year farmer & professor Pete Fandel shares expert cover crop species tips for corn and soybean rotations in the Midwest.
Fuel price signs on the U.S. Capitol lawn with the Capitol dome in the background
By Lyndi Allen May 14, 2026
The U.S. House of Representatives took a major step toward nationwide, year-round E15 sales this week by passing H.R. 1346, the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act
Annie H.
By Tara Desmond May 14, 2026
The Illinois Livestock Development Group (ILDG) recently welcomed Annie Hadden as its new Director of Livestock Development. As one of several commodity partners supporting ILDG alongside the Illinois Beef Association , Illinois Farm Bureau , Illinois Milk Producers Association , Illinois Pork Producers Association and Illinois Soybean Association , IL Corn has a vested interest in seeing livestock production thrive across the state. A strong livestock industry means a stronger market for Illinois corn, and a stronger Illinois agriculture overall. Get to Know Annie: Where It All Began For Hadden, the livestock industry isn't a career she stumbled into but one she was born into. Growing up in Southeastern Indiana, she spent every Sunday on her grandfather's farm, where her love for agriculture first took root. "My passion for the livestock industry started at a young age, right there on my grandpa's farm every Sunday afternoon," Hadden said. "Though at a small scale comparatively, there is livestock on both sides of my family lineage tracing back as far as the eye can see." When her family eventually moved to the farm after her grandfather's passing, Hadden threw herself into 4-H, showing dairy feeder steers, beef steers, and eventually sheep adding fuel to a fire that still burns brightly today. "My passion for the livestock industry grew and developed over time, and today, it burns as bright as ever," she said.
Green logo with Illinois outline, corn graphic, and bold white text reading “NEWS RELEASE”
By Lindsay Croke May 13, 2026
IL Corn Growers Association President Mark Bunselmeyer reacted to the U.S. House of Representatives passage of year-round E15 legislation
Show More