Bonsai Robotics’ Visionsteer, whose vision-based navigation is proven right here, works with tools from a number of OEMs.
Bonsai Robotics Inc. at this time introduced its acquisition of farm-ng Inc. This strategic mixture brings collectively two progressive agtech corporations. They mentioned they’ve a shared imaginative and prescient to ship synthetic intelligence and robotic techniques to sort out the labor, price, and effectivity challenges that growers face at this time.
San Jose, Calif.-based Bonsai Robotics mentioned it’ll combine its high-performance autonomous AI expertise with farm-ng’s customizable robotic platform to remodel crop administration. This mixture of software program and {hardware} will allow cost-effective, mixed-fleet options that enhance effectivity and cut back operational prices throughout numerous crops, duties, and environments, the firm asserted.
“Thus far, our imaginative and prescient has been to make autonomy and AI accessible, simple to make use of, and deployable throughout all farm tools, whether or not retrofitted onto current tractors or constructed into the subsequent technology machine,” mentioned Tyler Niday, co-founder and CEO and co-founder of Bonsai Robotics.”
“This acquisition permits us to now develop these next-generation machines to enhance and empower at this time’s workforce whereas optimizing farm productiveness,” he added. “We’re shifting the {industry} from iron to intelligence.”
Bonsai mentioned that it and farm-ng have a powerful observe report of collaboration throughout vineyards, orchards, and bedded crops, demonstrating confirmed discipline outcomes and business momentum. It famous that the acquisition positions the mixed firm for fast progress, supported by lively business deployments and powerful monetary backing.
“From Day 1, each groups have been deeply aligned on making robotics and AI sensible and seamless for real-world agricultural workflows,” mentioned Brendan Dowdle, former CEO of farm-ng and now chief enterprise officer of the mixed firm. “By becoming a member of forces, we are able to transfer quicker, serving to growers undertake transformative instruments that help their operations and enhance their backside line.”
farm-ng final week introduced updates to its on-robot software program stack. The agricultural robotics firm said that the updates display its dedication to offering reasonably priced, sensible, and user-friendly techniques for small and mid-sized farms.
Bonsai Robotics CEO shares origin story
Niday informed The Robotic Report that the acquisition resulted from a pure alignment between Bonsai and Farm-ng. The businesses had related theses about agriculture expertise and had been interacting at commerce reveals. They began speaking and located they meshed effectively culturally and shared a imaginative and prescient for the way forward for agricultural autonomy.
The companions had complementary strengths — Bonsai was software-heavy and farm-ng has progressive type elements and {hardware}, in response to Niday. The merger was natural, pushed by shared targets moderately than exterior pressures, he mentioned.
The main target of the mixed firm is to change into the world chief in autonomy and clever software program for out of doors machines, significantly in agriculture. Key targets embrace:
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- Growing a easy and intuitive app to handle agricultural machine fleets from a central interface
- Including intelligence to current tools to increase its usability
- Unlocking new type elements for agricultural equipment, significantly smaller “micro tractors” that may enhance return on funding (ROI)
- Utilizing superior AI and laptop imaginative and prescient applied sciences for autonomous navigation and operation
- Making a complete software program stack that may combine with current farm tools and allow autonomous operations
- Specializing in purposes like spraying, mowing, herbicide software, weeding, and transportation
The mix of Bonsai and Watsonville, Calif.-based farm-ng goals to transition agriculture from conventional “iron” equipment to software-driven, clever techniques that may function extra effectively and with much less human intervention.
The brand new Amiga-Max cellular robotic platform from farm-ng. | Credit score: The Robotic Report
Agtech and autonomy professional names new execs
The mixed group, together with latest new hires, brings deep experience spanning agriculture, robotics, AI, and engineering. Becoming a member of the Bonsai group in reference to the acquisition are Chief Working Officer John Teeple, former director of expertise at John Deere, and Gary Bradski, a key determine within the evolution of laptop imaginative and prescient and founding father of OpenCV, as chief science officer.
“We’re excited to have the ability to convey collectively an industry-leading group of engineers to deal with the very troublesome process of integrating {hardware}, compute, and notion essential to accommodate the unpredictability of real-world farming,” mentioned Ugur Oezdemir, co-founder and chief expertise officer of Bonsai. “With this acquisition, we are able to develop a unified platform that’s complementary to our OEM companions and able to addressing the variability throughout type elements, crop sorts, and geographies to ship efficient and dependable autonomy within the discipline.”
Monetary phrases of this acquisition weren’t disclosed. Present shareholders of each corporations will retain possession stakes within the newly mixed entity, to be named Bonsai Robotics.
