AgTech companies secure funding for robotics and remote monitoring

Agricultural technology companies Versatile RobotX and Farmbot have secured significant funding to advance automation and monitoring in the farming sector.

Versatile RobotX, a University of Essex spin-out, has received over £1 million in investment and innovation funding. The company develops intelligent robots, including the Fruit and Vegetable Autonomous Picker and the Hydroponic Robotic Harvester, which utilize artificial intelligence and machine vision to automate labor-intensive harvesting tasks. The funding will support product development, manufacturing, and commercial expansion to address labor shortages and food security.

Australian company Farmbot has raised over AU$22 million to expand its remote water monitoring services. Its platform uses rugged sensors and satellite connectivity to allow producers to monitor tanks, troughs, and rainfall via mobile devices. Farmbot currently serves over 12,000 customers managing millions of livestock and is expanding its international presence, including operations in the United States under the name Ranchbot.