Labour shortages, climate change, and increasing pressure on productivity in agriculture can only realistically be addressed by increasing automation and digital technology.

Antobot is meeting this need with its novel crop scouting robot, Insight, initially targeting the high-value fruit sector, with the aim of digitalising at the earliest growth stages. The product is highly innovative by using advanced technologies (e.g., autonomous navigation, artificial intelligence) at an affordable level – a key factor for wide adoption.

The work package on research is led by the combined team efforts of the University of Essex (UoE) and the University of Bedfordshire (UoB). This team will carry out research on various options of using Scouting Robots (SR) in Apple/strawberry farms and on the benefits of SRs for effectively integrating supply chains, reducing waste, and moving towards UK’s net-zero commitments. 

They will provide insight into the relevant business models and report on the experience of field trials, implementation, and evaluation. A workshop will be arranged in UoE to discuss the evaluations/reports.