October 4, 2023

By Lynda Kiernan-Stone, Global AgInvesting Media

The rise of robots in agricultural production represents a promising trend that addresses an array of challenges faced by the farming industry: labor shortages, the need for increased efficiency and sustainability, threats to farm laborer welfare due to severe conditions such as extreme heat, and recalls caused by the contamination of a crop through human contact. 

While there are still obstacles to overcome, technological advancements and a growing interest in agricultural automation suggest that robots will continue to play a growing role in the future of farming. This reality is reflected in the numbers. Farm robotics startups raised nearly $1 billion in 2021 compared to $375 million in 2020, according to the report Robotics and Automation Recap: February 2023, by Foodbytes, and the rounds continue to grow.

Bonsai Robotics, provider of the first computer vision-based automation solutions for off-road conditions such as agriculture, announced it has closed on a $13.5 million Seed round led by Acre Venture Partners.

E14, Congruent, Serra Ventures, Fall Line Capital, SNR Ventures, and Andros also participated in the round, along with angel investors including Travis Deyle, the founder of Cobalt Robotics; Lee Redden, the founder of Blue River Tech;  and Matt Barnard, the founder of Plenty.

Bonsai is concentrating on environments where traditional GPS, stereovision, time of flight sensors, and LIDAR-based autonomy systems fail. And its first targeted market is orchards, but more specifically, nut orchards – a sector that has been facing severe labor shortages, environmental pressures, and price pressures while dealing with decades-old autosteer technology typically used in row crop production which doesn’t work. 

Using patented AI models and computer vision software, Bonsai Robotics’ solutions are integrated with original equipment manufacturer (OEM) equipment, making it able to integrate with many different machines used in orchards and autonomously travel orchards without human operators. 

“Bonsai Robotics is combating growers’ biggest challenge: the labor shortage,” said Lucas Mann, managing partner, Acre Venture Partners. “This is the type of innovation that will drive fundamental change to improve access to fresh food and lighten the footprint of each acre.”

Mann continued, “After years looking into robotics and autonomy, we feel Bonsai presents the best solution we’ve seen and look forward to working closely with Tyler, Ugur and the team to make Bonsai ubiquitous in orchards and beyond.”

And because Bonsai Robotics’ software leverages AI SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) technology built using a data set of tens of thousands of acres, it is able to operate in adverse conditions including remote areas with excessive dust, debris, heavy vibration, and unreliable GPS service. 

“To date, GPS-based computer vision systems have failed in harvest conditions, meaning all machinery had to be operated by humans,” said Ugur Oezdemir, co-founder, Bonsai Robotics. “Our team has a deep background in ag tech, autonomous vehicles and computer vision, and we were determined to solve this problem. We did it through state-of-the-art 3D vision techniques using standard, durable automotive cameras to keep the cost down.”

The company stated that it has already established relationships with major OEMs including OMC, Flory Industries, and strategic partner Danfoss, and that several growers in California have participated in trials of its technology in the field in 2023. One participant was Pomona Farming.

“The results we saw from Bonsai Robotics were outstanding,” said Ceil Howe, Pomona Farming. “The system seamlessly adapted to any field condition and enabled us to harvest faster than when we used traditional shakers alone. This is the most transformative technology I’ve seen in ag tech since the advent of GPS – it will redefine how we approach orchard management and harvesting.” 

As Bonsai Robotics continues to gain traction and adoption, the company explained that it plans to use the capital from this round to accelerate its product roadmap, and to invest in expanding its sales and marketing teams. 

“Early feedback from OEMs and our grower customers has been outstanding,” said Tyler Niday, co-founder and CEO, Bonsai Robotics. “With our use case now proven, Bonsai Robotics can move forward with expansion into other areas of agriculture and beyond to other off-road environments. We’re thankful to our investors and customers for their support and looking forward to what’s to come.”

~ Lynda Kiernan-Stone is editor in chief with GAI Media, and is managing editor and daily contributor for Global AgInvesting’s AgInvesting Weekly News and  Agtech Intel News, as well as HighQuest Group’s Unconventional Ag. She can be reached at lkiernan-stone@globalaginvesting.com.

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