The tie-up will offer enhanced services through the company’s Thorvald robot
Saga Robotics has announced a three-way collaboration with AI crop insights outfit Bitwise Agronomy and UK soft-fruit producer Chambers Farm.
The Norwegian manufacturer, which developed the Thorvald robot, explained that the partnership focuses on commercial-scale data collection and yield forecasting, turning real-time fruit and flower counts into actionable intelligence for strawberry growers.
Thorvald already applies UV-C treatment to approximately 20 per cent of the UK’s tabletop strawberries, and Saga said it is now adding a powerful new dimension to its services. Twice per week, as Thorvald treats crops with UV-C light at Chambers Farm, it simultaneously captures detailed video footage of the plants.
Using onboard AI, each robot is estimated to count over three million fruits and flowers per night, assessing ripeness on a scale from 0 (flower) to 7 (overripe) and mapping this information to exact field rows.
The processed data is then uploaded to Bitwise Agronomy’s platform. There, it is combined with weather data, field sensor readings, and Bitwise’s proprietary ripening curves to generate precise yield forecasts, giving growers an edge for planning labour, harvests, and sales.
“This is about putting real numbers in the hands of growers,” said Damian Flynn, CPO of Saga Robotics. “Thorvald is already out there, delivering UV-C treatments. Now, it’s doubling its value, capturing detailed fruit data that gives growers clarity, not guesswork. By combining our platform with Bitwise’s agronomy intelligence, we’re delivering what the industry has been asking for: reliable, scalable yield prediction based on automated data collection.”
Berry producer Chambers Farm is the proving ground for the collaboration. “These are robots that work where it counts: in the field,” said Tim Chambers, managing director of Chambers. “We’ve seen how Thorvald’s nightly data runs help us understand flower density, ripening rates, and where to focus picking resources. With Bitwise’s forecasting layered in, we’re seeing the potential to take our operational planning to a new level.”
Thorvald began as a UV-C treatment platform, but has developed into an integrated and autonomous IPM and crop data solution, Saga noted, helping growers make informed decisions to protect margins and streamline operations.
Saga Robotics is continuing to expand Thorvald’s data collection and analytics offering. The company said new crop detections are on the horizon, as is a new digital platform to experience Thorvald and the data it collects.
The firm said the new collaboration is the first of many partnerships it hopes to build. “Growers don’t need more complexity,” said Flynn. “They need proven tools that slot into their operations and deliver clear insight. This partnership delivers on that promise, and it’s just the beginning.”
