Russian Students Build AI System to Help Hop Farmers

In Russia, a group of students has built an AI-powered machine that could change how hops are grown. Their invention promises to cut chemical use, protect workers, and boost harvests.

A team of young Russian engineers has created both the software and the hardware for a new hop-farming system that automates one of the trickiest parts of cultivation: treating plants with defoliants. These chemicals, usually based on ammonium nitrate and urea, are used to protect hops from disease and pests.

Instead of relying on manual spraying, the machine moves carefully between rows of plants, minimizing physical contact. Using a neural network, it can precisely spray the lower tier of the crop while also identifying and removing infected leaves.

The students say that applying computer vision and AI has already reduced the amount of chemicals needed without sacrificing effectiveness. Just as important, the system eliminates direct exposure of workers to aggressive substances.

Their project recently won Russia’s federal competition “Student Startup” and secured a development grant. The team plans to refine the machine further so it can be rolled out across different regions of the country.

Remote crop treatment is not entirely new to Russian agriculture — drones are already widely used to spray insecticides over vast fields of wheat and other crops. But this hop-specific system shows how tailored AI applications can move beyond aerial spraying and into specialized farm work.

The student project highlights not only a promising tool for the country’s hop industry but also the growing technical sophistication of Russia’s next generation of engineers.