There are nearly a half million acres of greenhouse tomato crops in the world, an area about 35 times the size of Manhattan. In other words, lots of tomatoes.
Growing them requires more than soil, water and sunlight. The plants are self-pollinating, but they need a little help getting the pollen to drop onto the female organ of the flower and trigger the process.
Typically, this is the job of bumblebees, which knock the pollen loose with the vibrations created by their beating flight muscles.
That, however, could change thanks to Israel-based startup Arugga. The company builds AI-powered robots that use computer vision to determine which flowers are ready for pollination and then blast air pulses at them to mimic the action of bumblebees and initiate pollination.
Arugga's new commercial robot will ship later this year. The performance of the bots is on par with the bumblebees and in some cases better by up to 5 percent, with the potential to perform other tasks and to collect and analyze data along the way.
Competing With Manufactured Bumblebees Lest it sound like Arugga might throw off nature's delicate balance, company execs stress that its bots don't supplant the wild bumblebees buzzing about our gardens.
The bees we're replacing are actually manufactured, said Eytan Heller, co-founder and vice president of business development at Arugga. They're grown in labs, packed in hives and shipped with 100 individuals inside. Growers spread the hives around their greenhouses and let the bees do their work.
In other words, rather than muscling in on a species, Arugga says it is reducing the need for unnatural bumblebee production. Instead of hives of mass-produced bees, Arugga envisions growers purchasing fleets of dependable robots.
Arugga also seeks to work in countries where importing of bumblebees isn't allowed. In Australia, for example, the pollination process is handled by manual labor. In that case, Heller said Arugga's robots have demonstrated yield improvements of up to 20 percent, without sacrificing quality.
Riding on tracks between rows of plants, the robots capture images of every flower, and then run Arugga's AI algorithms to instantly determine each flower's readiness to be pollinated. Heller said Arugga currently can ensure pollination of one hectare (about 2.5 acres) with 3.5 robots. Next year, it expects an improved algorithm to reduce that to 2.5, and he believes 1 robot per hectare isn't far off.
Beyond making pollination more efficient, Heller said Arugga's robots can help growers avoid many issues that arise with bumblebee pollination. For instance, bees can't work in extreme heat, they can transmit viruses between flowers and they can't be monitored for precise measurement of their success.
With our solution, you can monitor and see improvement over time, said Heller. The idea is to increase yield within the same space. It's a big benefit for growers.
To get that benefit, growers lease Arugga's robots, paying a monthly fee for each hectare of coverage.
Arugga prototype on trial in U.S. greenhouse. Arugga only recently launched its tomato pollination robot commercially, working with Australian vegetable grower Costa Group to pollinate the first 10 hectares of its tomato operation. It has also wrapped up a successful trial with a large U.S. grower, with more trials in the pipeline.
NVIDIA Tech for Smarter Applications Arugga uses the NVIDIA Metropolis platform to develop and deploy its computer vision system. Arugga trains on its own custom dataset, using NVIDIA's pretrained model YoloV4 with NVIDIA TAO toolkit. It processes raw video from greenhouses with the NVIDIA DeepStream SDK, outsources annotation, and then prepares the training dataset from the annotated imagery.
Each month, the company adds new batches of annotated data to its dataset, and then retrains the model and benchmarks it against previous models. This results in gradual pruning of the model, which is then exported to the robots using TensorRT.
Built upon off-the-shelf carts, Arugga's robots use NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX modules, which enable algorithms to run at the edge, allowing the AI magic to occur within the robots themselves.
I find it very hard to imagine how we could have achieved the same performance without using NVIDIA technologies, said Ori Shalev, software manager at Arugga. It's about being part of the NVIDIA Metropolis partner program and getting early access to NVIDIA SDKs to further enhance and accelerate our AI development efforts. This relationship is super important.
Next on the Menu: A Fuller Plate Going forward, Heller envisions adding more AI modules to its robots, empowering them to take on additional tasks. For instance, Heller sees no reason Arugga's robots can't detect pests and diseases, treat plants that are showing signs of distress, or apply beneficial solutions to spur plant health.
We see our solution as a platform to eventually multitask for the grower, a bit like having a Swiss army knife, said Heller.
He also said Arugga could treat other plants that require similar types of pollination, such as blueberries. Beyond that, there'll be opportunities he can't predict.
We're excited to be working in this field, said Heller. Agriculture in general kind of lags behind other industries in terms of robotics and the ability to do things in a more efficient way.
That said, the company's braintrust is being careful not to get ahead of itself, keeping Arugga's focus squarely on the rollout of its first product.
Said Heller: There's plenty on our plate with tomatoes.
Image credits: Arugga AI Farming Ltd. Company founders Eytan Heller (left) and Iddo Geltner (right) at top.
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
There are nearly a half million acres of greenhouse tomato crops in the world, an area about 35 times the size of Manhattan. In other words, lots of tomatoes.
