With its autonomous and electric-powered robot, Ekobot enables reduced use of chemicals while data collection provides new opportunities for the farmer. By collaborating with RISE early in its entrepreneurial journey, Ekobot has been able to develop and test its innovative solutions, representing a significant step towards a more sustainable and profitable agricultural production.
Precision cultivation and efficient weed management
Ekobot, based in Västerås, has a business idea to develop, manufacture, and sell autonomous agricultural robots enabling efficient precision farming. With Ekobot's robots, weed management occurs entirely without or with minimal use of herbicides. Tomas Täuber, the chief technology officer at Ekobot, explains
– The broad spread of chemicals for weed control also affects the crops, but with our robot, you can detect and remove weeds, reduce chemical usage, and streamline your cultivation through precision, says Tomas.
Ekobot began as a project funded by the Swedish Board of Agriculture's innovation support EIP-Agri in 2017, and they early on focused on the most challenging crop for mechanical weed control. RISE was one of the project partners primarily working on the development and evaluation of the weed removal tool together with Ekobot.
– One of the most challenging crops for precision cultivation is yellow onion. It's a difficult plant to see and quite complex to distinguish from weeds. So we thought, if we succeed with yellow onion, we can succeed with more crops later, says Tomas.
AI and mechanical tools
Today, Ekobot has ten employees, is publicly listed, and has gradually worked its way to the solution they have today
– Our robot is electric, autonomous, and helps reduce chemicals in agriculture. Many can create advanced robots, but what's unique about ours is our camera system and the combination with AI. When the smart system detects weeds, the robot has a mechanical tool that strikes the ground and removes weeds, something we also hold a patent for, says Tomas
Our robot is electric, autonomous and helps reduce chemicals in agriculture
Access to testing opportunities
As part of the EU-funded project AgrifoodTEF, which RISE is leading, Ekobot has been granted access to testing facilities at RISE's digitalized agriculture testbed in Uppsala. This has provided them with opportunities to test, evaluate, and develop various components of the robot.
– RISE has been an independent and involved party in our product development from the beginning. Through the AgrifoodTEF project, we have gained access to a neutral testing site and experts in agricultural technology. We wanted, among other things, to improve the navigation system and see how the robot performs in a completely new field. We have been able to gather valuable data that we have evaluated and used to improve our robot, says Tomas
Precise cultivation is becoming increasingly important
Tomas recently attended an Agtech conference in France, where it became clear that as chemicals for agriculture are being phased out and mechanical weed control is becoming increasingly important.
– This is significant; farmers in France are clamoring for alternatives to conventional farming with widespread chemical use, and they are entirely convinced that mechanical weed control is the way forward. However, changing behaviors among farmers takes time, and that's what we have to work on,
According to Tomas, it's essential to make farmers realize the benefits of precision cultivation.
– One advantage, as we've observed through simpler trials, is that the use of our robot can lead to up to a 20 percent increase in yield for the farmer, precisely due to the precision in weed control. Another advantage is that onions cleaned by a robot last longer, says Tomas
They are entirely convinced that mechanical weed control is the way forward
Potential with data
The potential for development is significant, and Tomas sees data collection as an interesting area that can provide new business opportunities.
– Data is fascinating, and I see several possibilities with the data that our robot can collect. Analyzed data will provide added value for the farmer, enabling them to further increase the precision of their operations, says Tomas.
Tomas exemplifies that in the future, their robot might be able to regularly inspect the onions and detect that 'onion No. 154' has only grown a few millimeters and that the soil is dry. This information becomes crucial for the farmer who needs to start irrigation so the onion grows better.
– The data gives the farmer more control over their harvest and a strong negotiating position with their customers since they know the size of their own yield. This can provide us with tremendous opportunities moving forward, both for us and for farmers, concludes Tomas
Create the future of agriculture with us
AgrifoodTEF is an EU-funded project aimed at promoting sustainable and efficient food production. Here, small and medium-sized companies from across Europe can receive assistance with experiments, testing, and verification of innovations targeted towards agriculture in real environments.
The goal is to maximize the digitalization of the agricultural sector and introduce AI and robotics solutions that enhance the sustainability of food production in a time of climate change and global competition. AgrifoodTEF is a collaboration between nine European countries, with 29 partners included in the consortium. RISE coordinates the Swedish part of the project, which also includes AstaZero.
