In early April 2021, it was announced that - to increase their own efficiency - Kentucky-based, publicly traded agtech and vertical farming company AppHarvest (NASDAQ:APPH) - had acquired ag robotics and artificial intelligence company Root AI: interestingly founded in the same ywar (2017) . It is perhaps telling that - with the US agriculture industry facing labor shortages, Root AI, - a MA start-up - had been addressing that need by building agricultural robots. The first (Virgo 1) is able to pick tomatoes without bruising them, and to detect ripeness better than humans. A self-driving robot with sensors and cameras that serve as its eyes, the machine - having on-board lights on board - can navigate large commercial greenhouses any hour of the day or night, detecting which tomatoes are ripe enough to harvest. A âsystem-on-moduleâ runs the Virgoâs AI-software brain: a robotic arm, with a dexterous hand attached, moves gently enough to work alongside people, and can independently pick tomatoes without tearing down vines. The robotâs âfingersâ are made of a food-safe plastic and easily cleaned - and important factor in in disease managed environment.. Reprogrammable and with sensors/grippers available for use on differentcrops, Virgo, is a complete mobile platform already proven adaptable to harvest a range of
