Abundant Robotics builds autonomous apple-harvesting machines that identify and pick apples using a vacuum-based end effector to avoid bruising. The company has tested units in orchards across the U.S. and Australia and engineers work seasonally with growers to refine the systems. Its machines are designed to operate around the clock, including at night, and the team began collaborating with the apple industry about four years ago. Abundant says its technology could eventually be adapted to harvest other fruits. The company spun out of SRI International via SRI Ventures and is led by CEO and co-founder Dan Steere. Commercial deployment of field units is an explicit near-term goal following the new funding round.

Total raised

$10M

Funding rounds

1

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

May 2017