Small Robot Company enters liquidation

The UK’s Small Robot Company announced its closure. “It is with great sadness that after a long fight Small Robot Company today proceeds into liquidation,” it said in a statement. “Our technology delivered value at a profit, with customers waiting, but we could not secure the required investment to scale.

Founded in 2017, the company made automated robots covering plant detection, biomass assessment and weed detection.

“We have created something remarkable in the last six years. We co-designed our service with farmers, successfully delivering their ‘Holy Grail’, a world first: grass weed detection at field scale,” it continued.

“This went commercially live in September, with huge potential. UK blackgrass alone loses farmers £400m each year. Service last season demonstrated up to 90% herbicide and 24% fertiliser savings.

“We believe we developed something that will be a cornerstone of how farms are run in the future, but unfortunately with this attempt we were too early for the market. Our chapter in the fourth agricultural revolution is over. We hope we have inspired others to continue the mission.”

Image: Small Robot Company