Yamaha puts US$8m into Robotics Plus
Japanese motoring giant Yamaha has invested US$8 million in Kiwi ag-tech startup Robotics Plus, the company has announced.
The latest cash injection, equal to about NZ$12m, brings Yamaha Motor Company’s total investment in the company to $US10m, after a partnership agreement and US$2m investment in March.
Robotics Plus co-founder and chairman Steve Saunders, who is working to establish a US subsidiary for the company, said Yamaha’s investment would support the vision to grow the Tauranga-based company into a global business.
‘‘This investment will allow us to take the company to the next level and attract and retain the world class talent we need,’’ Saunders said. ‘‘To stay ahead of the opportunity we need to scale quickly, not just with our apple packers that are already in market, but also with our new UGV [Unmanned Ground Vehicle] platform technology and other projects under development.’’
Hiro Saijo, chief executive of Yamaha Motor Ventures & Laboratory Silicon Valley, said the investment would help the company reach its goal of making agriculture more sustainable, healthy, and secure.
In May, Robotics Plus launched its robotic A¯ poro apple packers, the first in a suite of technologies addressing labour shortages in agriculture and horticulture industries.
The apple packer, which identifies and places apples in display trays, can safely handle up to 120 fruit per minute and is already operating in packhouses in New Zealand and the United States.
Other technologies under development include an autonomous agricultural vehicle, robotic kiwifruit harvester, robotic pollinator, and crop estimator.