You may have caught our video shout out around flying fruit bots on Friday, so let’s talk about the not too FAR future.
Flying Autonomous Robots, that is.
The company who makes them, Tevel Aerobotics Technologies, just received a major liftoff.
Can you take me higher: The Israel-based company raised $20 million from major investors, including two Asian agricultural equipment manufacturers: Japan’s Kubota and China’s Forbon.
The fruit-harvesting drones will help mitigate a significant – 50% – drop of UN orchard workers over the past two decades. Plus, the robots will allow farmers the opportunity to grow taller trees.
Taller trees = more fruit = extra revenue = more money in the farmer’s pocket.
And not only can the drones snag fruit at the tippy top of that tree way easier than humans, but they can also detect the fruit type, size, and ripeness. Pruning, trimming, and thinning orchard trees is another feature set that makes the bot next-level.
Up, up and away: Although the service is not yet commercially available for farmers, Tevel plans to use the investment funds for pilot tests in the U.S. this year.