Robotics specialist secures fresh investment to expand its machines’ commercial deployment beyond UK
Dogtooth Technologies has heralded the arrival of so-called ‘embodied’ AI in farming, after it secured more than £14mn in new funding to accelerate the commercial deployment of its AI-powered harvesting robots.
The company said recent advances in generative AI had the potential to transform horticultural machines, with the technology’s application enabling them to perceive the physical world and interact with it.
Agricultural robotics, it said, represented one of its “earliest and most commercially compelling” applications.
And this tantalising vision of the future has apparently prompted several investment partners to jump on board.
The latest funding round is drawn from 24 Haymarket, EMV Capital, and ACF Investors – all of which have provided equity – as well as grants from Innovate UK, and a venture leasing facility from Kineo Finance.
Dogtooth said it expected the capital injection to help it improve its technology further and roll it out to growers in the UK as well as other countries.
“This investment represents a significant milestone for Dogtooth and for the broader adoption of embodied AI in agriculture,” said Duncan Robertson, the company’s CEO. “For many years, robotic harvesting has been viewed as a distant aspiration. Today, growers are deploying our robots on commercial farms because labour shortages are a reality that cannot be ignored.
He continued: “The convergence of AI, robotics and practical customer demand is creating a unique opportunity to transform the production of fruit and vegetable produce.”
Delicate operation
Based in the UK, Dogtooth has developed autonomous machines that incorporate AI, vision technology, and robotics to harvest delicate crops such as berries on a commercial scale.
It recently installed a robotic system at indoor berry producer Dyson Farming.
Robotic harvesting, it said, was becoming “an increasingly essential technology” for producers faced with shortages and rising costs when it comes to labour provision.
“Dogtooth has established itself as one of the world’s leading agricultural robotics companies through a combination of deep technical expertise, perseverance, and commercial focus,” said Paul Tselentis, managing director of 24 Haymarket. “The team has achieved what many believed would be impossible: reliably harvesting delicate crops in real-world commercial environments.”
Tim Mills, managing partner at ACF Investors, said: “Having backed Dogtooth from its early days, we have seen the exceptional progress the company has made in developing and deploying technology that addresses one of agriculture’s most significant challenges and demonstrates the substantial commercial potential of robotics in the sector.”
Ilian Iliev, managing director, EMV Capital, added: “Precision robotics and AI applied to agriculture at commercial scale is exactly the kind of outsized, real-world impact EMV Capital seeks to invest in.”
