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Editor’s Note: Robotics Business Review‘s coverage emphasizes innovation, including start-up companies (or ‘young’ companies). RBR “Start-Up Profiles” highlight individual start-up companies using a consistent, templated format that makes for quick, yet informed reading, that also simplifies comparative analysis.
FarmDroid ApS – Company Profile
| City: | Vejen | State: |
Syddanmark |
| Country: | Denmark | # of Employees: | 18 |
| URL: | https://www.farmdroid.dk | Founded: | 2011 |
Founder – Kristian Vest Warming, Co-Founder & Chief of Farming Robots; Jens Vest Warming, Co-Founder & CTO
Funding Status – FarmDroid has received investments from Innovation Environment Syddansk Innovation A/S and REInvest Robotics.
FarmDroid’s solution is based on the FarmDroid FD20, an autonomous, lightweight, field robot that automates sowing and weed removal on farmland.
FarmDroid – Offerings Profile
Primary Target Markets – Agriculture
Technology / Product / Service(s) – FarmDroid is the creator of a field robot that helps farmers and growers reduce the costs of sowing and weeding crops. FarmDroid’s solution is based on the FarmDroid FD20, an autonomous, lightweight, field robot that automates sowing and weed removal on farmland. The FarmDroid FD20 allows earth to be cultivated in an ecological and CO2 neutral way, and unlike heavy equipment, the lightweight FD20 limits structural damage to the soil.
Value Proposition – FarmDroid’s value proposition for their solution includes:
- Green Technology and Sustainability – Two batteries on the FarmDroid FD20 are charged by four solar panels which deliver up to 1.6 kWh, equivalent to 20 kWh a day. This ensures that the FDD20 does not need external charging, making the system 100% CO2-neutral.
- Optimizing Growth and Yield – FarmDroid FD20 uses high-precision GPS technology and does not depend on cameras or sensors for recognizing plants and weeds, and this contributes to an increased operational stability and precision. Exact weeding both between the rows and inside the spacing between plants ensures that the crops do not have to compete with weeds for nutrition and sunlight thereby optimizing growth and yield.
- Short payback period – Eliminate or reduce the number of manual labor hours. FarmDroid FD20 helps eliminating or highly reducing the need for tiring and time-consuming manual weeding. Therefore, we have examples of payback periods as low as 2 years!
Demand Drivers – It is becoming increasingly difficult for farmers to secure agricultural labor and to house a manual working force. The demand for organic farming, and increasing restrictions on the use of chemicals for conventional farming, presents a major challenge for farmers, as they must rely on mechanical methods for weed control.
For high value crops such as sugar beets, onions, herbs and vegetables, weed control is often performed manually which is very costly for the farmer, as well as difficult and tiring for workers. Farmers must invest in automation in order to remain competitive, feed the world, and do so in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way.
Farmers must invest in automation in order to remain competitive, feed the world, and do so in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way.
FarmDroid – Business Model(s) and Competition
Business Model – FarmDroid is currently working with distributors in Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Germany and other European countries.
Partners – FarmDroid’s solution incorporates technologies from a number of solution providers.
Customers – FarmDroid has a number of customers. A recent customer case study focused on a beet farmer in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt (HERE).
Competitive Landscape – We compete with traditional weeding methods.
FarmDroid – Recent News
- Farmdroid: Roboter Sät Und Hackt Biorüben Völlig Autonom
- Feldroboter Farmdroid sät Zuckerrüben
- Will This Robot be Part of the Future of Organics?
- Farmdroid: The Robot on the Organic Farm
- Farmdroid: Il Robot Agricolo Alimentato Dal Sole
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