Agrobotics a growing presence at RoboBusiness

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Agrobotics is a rapidly growing market within the robotics industry. According to Markets and Markets, the agriculture robotics market is estimated to be worth $13.5 billion in 2023, and is projected to reach $40.1 billion by 2028. 

At RoboBusiness, which takes place October 18-19 in Santa Clara, CA, attendees will have the opportunity to hear from leaders in the agrobotics market about the latest innovations in the space. These sessions include: 

Keynote: Robotics Are Helping to Feed the World
Sarah Schinckel, Director of Emerging Technologies, John Deere
Farmers are up against a monumental challenge: feeding a growing population with less available land, labor, and resources. The world’s population is expected to reach nearly 10 billion by 2050, increasing the global food demand by 50%. However, overall employment of agricultural workers is only projected to grow by 1% by 2029, slower than average for all occupations. Advanced robotics are essential to helping farmers upskill limited labor and perform precise tasks at scale.

Robotics is also the key to bringing autonomy and automation to the farm. Today, farmers use highly-automated machines to prepare the soil, plant, spray, and harvest. With continued robotic innovation, farmers can perform tasks faster and with fewer resources to provide the food, fuel, and fiber our world needs. This presentation will explore the value robotics bring to the farm and what other industries can learn from its purposeful use case in agriculture.

Production-level Robotics for Farming
Greg Chiocco, VP of Product, FarmWise
Vegetable farming still relies today on labor-intensive processes. Weed control in particular, which is critical to ensure good yields, is mostly taken care of by hand crews who walk the field with hoes. After prototyping for 5 years in the epicenter of lettuce production in North America, farm robotics company FarmWise released its first commercial robotic weeder. This machine can detect crops from weeds and mechanically uproot the undesired plants with extreme precision using deep learning and actuation control. This talk will walk you through the team’s journey and learnings from the first demo to the architectural decisions behind the new product.

Modern Farming with Collaborative Robots
Claire Delaunay, COO, Farm-ng
In a world where sustainable practices are no longer optional but essential, Farm-ng is leading the agricultural sector into the future with cutting-edge robotic solutions. Its robots serve as more than mere machines; they are companions to farmers, aiding in the creation of a smarter, cleaner, and more efficient agricultural landscape.

Join this session for a deep dive into Farm-ng’s collaborative workflows, which are designed to seamlessly integrate advanced robotics into existing farming operations. The session will feature a live demo, showcasing the real-world utility and effectiveness of our robotic solutions.

Lessons Learned Deploying Mobile Robots on Farms
Charlie Andersen, CEO, Burro
Mobile robots are increasingly being used in the agricultural industry. During this session, you will hear from a pioneer in the agricultural robotics industry, with vast experience developing and deploying mobile robots on working farms. The primary objective of Burro mobile robots is to assist in the transportation of goods, alleviating the workload of farm laborers and enhancing the overall efficiency of farm operations.

How Autonomous Tractors Will Kickstart the Digital Farming Revolution
Sam Abidi, Chief Commercial Officer, Monarch
Tractors are at the center of the farm, running virtually all the operations that occur on a given day. By leveraging a unique set of recent tech advancements to automate and digitize the tractor, Monarch Tractor is creating a platform that enables farmers to run their farms like a factory – automatic, traceable and data-driven. In this session, learn how this transformation of what a tractor can do will unlock benefits for workers, the farm and agriculture more broadly.

And in the Pitchfire Startup Competition, Adam Stager, CEO of TRIC Robotics, will discuss the company’s automated approach to using ultraviolet light, not chemicals, to aid strawberry farmers with pest control.

RoboBusiness is the leading event focused on developing commercial robots. There will be 60-plus speakers, 60-plus exhibitors and demos on the expo floor, networking receptions, the Pitchfire Robotics Startup Competition and more. You can check out the current list of speakers, to which more will be added.

RoboBusiness will be co-located with the Field Robotics Engineering Forum, an event focused on successfully developing robots that operate in wide-ranging, outdoor, dynamic environments.

Also co-located with RoboBusiness is DeviceTalks West, the premier industry event for medical technology professionals, currently in its ninth year. Both events attract engineering and business professionals from a broad range of healthcare and medical technology backgrounds.