Verdant Robotics Unveils Autonomous Farm Robot for Specialty Crops
Agtech is a major industry that is eager to be taken over by robotics. It is a large category that requires solutions to a variety of problems, although recently it has faced a number of false starts.
Abundant Robotics, for example, went bankrupt but was revived under a new brand that is currently exploring crowdfunding. Meanwhile, Traptic, a strawberry-picking company, literally left the field and was acquired by Bowery for vertical farming.
To meet farmers' needs for more sustainable and profitable growing methods, Verdant Robotics announced an expansion of its robot-as-a-service (RaaS) model to give more specialty crop farmers access.
Verdant, founded in late 2018 by a leading roboticist, software engineer and California farmer, raised $21.5 million to develop the industry's first multi-action autonomous farm robot, capable of spraying crops with millimeter precision, performing laser weeding and carrying out operations based on artificial intelligence and digital crop modeling.
Together with partner farmers, Verdant uses these tools to achieve better results, including increased output, higher yields and significant savings.
The company has already signed a contract to service approximately 40% of the US carrot market over the next five years and is currently expanding to meet the needs of the multibillion-dollar US fruit and vegetable industry. Verdant's CEO has more than 20 years of experience in geospatial computing and artificial intelligence.
“Farmers told us not to give them more data, but to figure out what to do with the mountains of data they already have or, even better, just go and do it. They need an integrated solution that works in real time and keeps farms under control while boosting profitability and automating dangerous and exhausting field work”
Sustainability and profitability are fueling interest in agricultural robotics
Investment in agricultural robotics as a means of improving labor, profitability and sustainability has built up over the years. According to AgFunder, agricultural robotics startups raised $491 million in the first half of 2021, 40% more than in the same period of 2020, but today, actual robotics on farms is mostly still experimental.
After a successful large-scale deployment over the past 18 months, Verdant logged thousands of hours in 2021 and has already proven its effectiveness on several crops. According to Sibley, Verdant's machines now work in the field all day, every day, helping farmers achieve superhuman efficiency.
By combining several technologies, the company's 6-row and 12-row commercial implements can cover up to 4.2 acres per hour, delivering higher weed-removal speed per acre than other technologies or human labor, and cutting chemical use by up to 95%.
At the same time, the autonomous software system collects data and uses machine learning to optimize yields and growing results, ultimately unlocking new revenue to help farmers meet profitability and sustainability goals.
“Verdant Robotics' ability to digitize a farm enables precision technology at a level previously impossible for specialty crops, eliminating the trade-off between environmental care and profitability. Thanks to a unique combination of automation and insight, farmers can collectively manage valuable resources such as water while maintaining or increasing yields”
RaaS brings AI, robotics and science to farms of all sizes faster
Verdant's computational robotic and autonomous software systems combine decades of advances in scientific fields, including computer vision, artificial intelligence, robotics, GPS-free navigation, chemistry, soil science and plant science, to achieve the next generation of crop cultivation.
“The Verdant platform stands out for its integrated software and hardware, which applies across a range of valuable crops. Drawing on the experience of Google X, NASA and several autonomous transportation companies, the team quickly introduced reliable technology that provides a growth path capable of serving a global food and agriculture market worth $8 trillion, and well positions them to meet the needs of farmers in neighboring countries, markets and geographic regions”
Together with its customers, Verdant is driving a shift in agriculture similar to the transformation seen in the aerospace and automotive industries when computing took over.
The company has attracted investment from leading agricultural investors, including DCVC Bio, Autotech Ventures, Future Ventures, AgFunder, Cavallo Ventures and others. Building on this investment, Verdant is expanding its platform, planning to bring a precision multi-action machine for horticulture to market by 2023, which will be another milestone for the specialty crop industry.
Over the next few years, Verdant Robotics intends to provide comprehensive robotics solutions worldwide to help improve the quality, profitability and responsible use of important food crops, thereby enabling more sustainable and nutritious diets for a growing population.
"Together with growers, we are building sustainable, high-precision agriculture: working on the farm spatially, temporally and physically with an accuracy, care, frequency and scale that were previously impossible. At Verdant, we believe the future of agriculture is environmentally safe robotic farming. Our goal is to change the way food is grown while improving the lives of farmers, workers and rural residents. By digitizing the farm at the millimeter scale, indexing it and taking actions that unlock new value, we give our customers superhuman agricultural tools," the company said.
