Abundant apple harvesting robots get their first commercial rollout – TechCrunch



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We have been writing about Abundant Robotics for about three years to this day. Now the ISR spin-out is finally ready for prime time. Abundant announced this week that New Zealand's T & G Global will use its robots to harvest apples.

Abundant says the news is part of a plan to get involved year-round, teaming up with companies from both hemispheres, starting this first deployment in New Zealand.

"Developing an automated apple harvester requires solving several complex technical problems in parallel, that is to visually identify the harvested fruits and physically handle them to pick without bruising, to navigate in any security in the orchard itself, "said Dan Steere, CEO of Abundant the announcement. "Our relationship with the growers and our access to the real-life conditions of the partner orchards through the development and testing process have been instrumental in bringing the technology to the stage where it is now commercially viable."

Abundant has been testing its small-scale technology for a while, but the T & G agreement marks the first commercial rollout of the company. To date, the company based in the San Francisco Bay Area has raised $ 12 million, including a $ 10 million A Series led by GV (Google Ventures) in 2017. It's the largest in the world. is a small but important start for robotic technologies that can revolutionize the way food is harvested. around the globe.

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