Laudando wins U.S. patent for L&Aser crop protection platform

Laudando & Associates has secured its first U.S. patent for the L&Aser photonic crop protection platform, covering technologies for targeting and selectively treating plants with energy. The company is also shifting commercial focus toward Europe, pausing new sales in Australia and making the Netherlands its next commercial and research hub.

Why it matters: - Laudando & Associates now has foundational U.S. patent protection for the L&Aser photonic crop protection platform. - The patent broadens the company’s position beyond conventional laser weeding and could shape how photonic crop protection is developed for large-scale agriculture. - The company is also redirecting near-term commercialization toward Europe, signaling a strategic shift in where it expects adoption and collaboration to grow.

What happened: - Laudando & Associates LLC announced the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 12,677,822 B2, titled “Cultivating Methods and Apparatuses.” - The patent covers foundational technologies for the company’s L&Aser™ photonic crop protection platform. - The company said the patent is the first issued U.S. patent in its broader photonic crop protection portfolio. - Laudando & Associates said it is pausing new commercial availability of L&Aser in Australia. - The company said the Netherlands will become its primary commercial and research hub for the next phase of expansion.

The details: - The patent includes embodiments for identifying, tracking and selectively treating plants with targeted energy. - The technology is designed to induce photochemical and thermal stress through beam combining, optical steering, beam shaping and energy-efficient architectures. - Laudando & Associates said the patent covers claims that extend beyond conventional laser weeding integrations. - Those claims include multi-stressor plant treatment, targeted energy design, free-space beam combining, spatial targeting and tracking, modular cultivator designs and energy-efficient implementations. - The company said the technologies are intended to improve throughput while reducing power requirements. - Laudando & Associates said the goal is to support laser weeding viability for broadacre and row-crop agriculture. - The company said its approach uses low-cost blue laser diodes, optical beam combining, large-aperture steering systems and beam shaping. - The company said the platform is designed to lower the cost of photonic crop protection for farmers. - Christopher Laudando said the company’s objective is broader than replacing herbicides with lasers. - Laudando & Associates said the U.S. patent grant does not resolve its ongoing patent litigation with Carbon Autonomous Robotic Systems Inc., known as Carbon Robotics. - Chris Laudando said the patent process and the litigation involve different legal questions. - Laudando & Associates said the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office completed examination and determined the claimed inventions meet statutory requirements for patentability. - The company said the federal court case will continue on its own track. - Laudando & Associates said it will work with counsel on a long-term intellectual property strategy for protection and commercialization in the U.S. and abroad. - The company expects future development to extend beyond laser weed control into closed-loop biosystems. - Those future systems are expected to include crop phenotyping, spatial dose optimization, selective plant response, plant trait development, integrated sensing and combination treatment modalities. - Laudando said L&Aser is becoming a platform for researchers, growers, universities, OEMs and future commercial partners. - The company said the broader research effort is intended to support crop protection and plant breeding for low-input cropping systems. - Laudando & Associates said the pause in Australia follows discussions with growers and industry stakeholders about uncertainty in the local intellectual property environment. - Laudando said the company chose to concentrate near-term commercial efforts in Europe rather than ask Australian farming businesses to navigate that uncertainty. - The company said it will continue supporting lawful research collaborations in jurisdictions that encourage agricultural innovation and competitive technology development. - The company included social media and project links for LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube and GitHub.

Between the lines: - The patent gives Laudando & Associates a stronger IP position while the company continues a separate court fight over related technology. - The move away from Australia suggests the company sees Europe as a clearer path for commercialization and research partnerships. - The framing around “research-first” and “closed-loop biosystems” points to a platform strategy, not just a product sale strategy. - The company is positioning photonics as a broader plant-management tool, not only a weed-control replacement.

What's next: - Laudando & Associates plans to keep building its patent portfolio and commercialization strategy with counsel. - The company will pursue collaborations with domestic and international researchers from its Netherlands hub. - Future development is expected to focus on research, platform expansion and broader agricultural applications beyond weeding. - The federal litigation with Carbon Robotics will continue through court proceedings.

The bottom line: - Laudando & Associates has turned a patent win into a broader commercial and research reset, with Europe now at the center of its next phase.