How Ecorobotix improves agriculture through AI

2023 is a record year for investment in generative AI startups and Swiss startups are not far behind. For example, Ecorobotix secured USD 52 million in May 2023 to accelerate the growth of its AI-powered plant recognition. The Vaud agritech company is working on the crop protection of the future in a field in the municipality of Valeyres-sous-Rances.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) research has a long tradition in Switzerland. The Idiap Research Institute in Martigny has been working on AI applications since 1991, and IDSIA in Lugano for three years longer. The ETH AI Center works closely with EPFL, the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre, the Swiss Data Science Center, and various universities of applied sciences. Alexander Ilic already worked with machine learning and algorithms when he co-founded Dacuda in 2009. “Swiss AI research is world-class," says Ilic, now head of the AI Center at ETH Zurich.

The eye of the machine: AI meets agriculture
“Herbicides are extremely expensive,” says Aurélien G. Demaurex, co-founder and CEO of Ecorobotix. In conventional agriculture, they account for between 50% and 70% of the total cost of weed control. “We can reduce these costs by a factor of between 10 and 20.” But that is not the only advantage: farmers also benefit from a better harvest. Research by Ecorobotix shows that significantly reduced herbicide use is good for crops, with yield increases of between 5% and 20%. And not least there is the ecological benefit of ultra-high spot spraying: the fewer pesticides sprayed on the fields, the better biodiversity improves, and microorganisms and insects thrive. Meanwhile, a team with a mobile tent is on the move in the test field. It records square metres after square meters of dark, extremely fertile soil. These images will later be used to train the AI algorithms for Frenchbeans. “AI and computer vision are central to our success,” explains Demaurex. Chemistry is the watchword, but with the sense of proportion of a weeder who does not dig up the whole field, but selectively pulls out only the weeds.



With a wingspan of six metres, the Ecorobotix robot ARA is mounted on a tractor and travels down the furrows at 7.2 km/h, as its cameras record the subsoil. The onboard computer evaluates the image data in real-time, identifies ‘undesirable vegetation’ and activates micro-nozzles that spray herbicide at a minimum distance of three centimetres from the crops. The AI algorithms not only detect the weeds but they also recognise the degree of maturity of the cultivated crops and the texture and condition of the arable soil. “We have real-time data from hundreds, and eventually thousands, of fields,” says Demaurex. It is a treasure trove of data with a great deal of commercial potential, in particular for providers of crop insurance policies and wholesalers. The evaluations may also become important for the agrochemical industry. It sees its sales markets shrinking because of the trend towards spot spraying of crop protection products, but it could use the AI data to develop new, more environmentally friendly active ingredients.

52 million dollars in growth capital
It is not surprising that Ecorobotix’s most important backers include two chemical giants: BASF and the Norwegian Yara Group. Together with Swisscom Ventures, Verve Ventures and two German venture capital firms, they invested USD 52 million in the Vaud-based scale-up in May this year as part of a Series B financing. Originally, the funding goal was somewhere between USD 10 million and USD 15 million. However, the immense interest in the capital market allowed the growth plans to be revised upwards. The investors rewarded Ecorobotix’s technology and market leadership: the ARA is the number one spot spraying machine worldwide for vegetable and row crops. In addition, the possibilities of the ARA are far from exhausted. Ecorobotix’s self-learning computer vision algorithms can also be trained to detect fungal and insect infestations. The first commercial spray operations with insecticides and fungicides are underway. Ecologically sustainable food production is indicated by precision agriculture. The farmer treats diseased plants with pesticides and fertilises only if growth residues are detected in parts of the harvest. “We have the right product at the right time,” comments Demaurex. “Now it’s up to us to get started.”Ecorobotix currently employs about 100 people worldwide – and the number is growing rapidly. A branch office will open in the US very soon, and from there the North American distribution network will be expanded. 

Read the full article in the TOP 100 Swiss Startup Magazin 2023 and discover more Swiss AI startups. Venturelab drives innovation in the AI industry by connecting corporates and investors to a selected list of startups. Become a partner today.