Aigen develops the Element robotic fleet, autonomous solar- and wind-powered vehicles that navigate row crops to weed and analyze fields without chemicals or diesel. The robots combine LTE connectivity with AI, machine learning, solar and battery technology and are offered as a service. Aigen says its vehicles reduce farmers’ workload, cut reliance on fossil fuels, and improve crop and soil health. The company plans to scale its fleet and launch on farms in spring 2024, with an Element service debuting on over 20,000 acres in April 2024. Aigen is building a 7,500 sq ft manufacturing and R&D facility to produce its solar-powered robotic fleet. Founders are Rich Wurden and Kenny Lee; the company is described in the article as Kirkland, Washington, DC-based. Aigen develops solar-powered autonomous robots equipped with multiple cameras, onboard AI and two robot arms to identify and either remove or propagate plants. Its first product focuses on mechanical weed removal and can cover up to three acres per day. The company emphasizes lighter robots to avoid soil compaction and reduce reliance on heavy machinery, diesel, tilling and chemical usage. Aigen collects image data in the field to improve its plant-identification models and expand functionality beyond weeding over time. Leadership frames the weed-picking robot as an initial commercial product on a longer-term mission to push agriculture toward carbon neutrality or negativity.

Total raised

$16M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

Nov 2023