New Zealand-based company Robotics Plus, a specialist in agricultural automation solutions, has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Yamaha Motor to form the foundation of Yamaha Agriculture, a new company focused on delivering autonomous equipment and AI-powered digital solutions that help growers in the specialty crop market become more sustainable, profitable and resilient in the face of scarcer resources and climate change.
Robotics Plus specialises in developing automation solutions for agriculture, combining expertise in robotics, automation, sensing and data analytics. Its latest development, Prospr, is a robust, autonomous, multi-purpose hybrid vehicle designed to perform a range of orchard and vineyard tasks. Built to tackle labour shortages and enhance efficiency, precision, sustainability, and safety, Prospr is capable of multiple activities including spraying and weed control. Robotics Plus’ innovations also includes the Āporo Fruit Packer, which automates fruit packing, and a robotic log scaler to automate log measurement for trucks and trains.
“Robotics Plus was founded on a vision to develop state-of-the-art robotic technology to solve some of the global agriculture industry’s biggest challenges, including labour, productivity and sustainability issues. This acquisition is a testament to the strong partnership we’ve built with Yamaha over the years, driven by a shared vision and commitment to empowering large-scale growers. Innovations like Prospr are at the heart of Yamaha Agriculture’s global strategy, enabling a data-driven approach to precision agriculture. With Yamaha’s support, we are poised to accelerate our robotics innovations, significantly scale our hardware manufacturing, and expand further into key markets such as the US, and beyond,” says Steve Saunders, co-founder and CEO of Robotics Plus.
Since 2017, Yamaha Motor, the parent company of newly launched US-based Yamaha Agriculture has supported Robotics Plus with strategic investment to drive development of agricultural automation technologies and to expand its presence in the agtech sector.
Following Robotics Plus’ acquisition, the company will continue to operate its core business at its headquarters in Tauranga.
“Guided by our mission to ensure growers are sustainable, profitable, and resilient, Yamaha Agriculture recognizes that the challenges facing specialty crop growers require thoughtful solutions that will take time to develop. We believe meaningful innovation in agriculture emerges through close collaboration with growers and industry partners. The capabilities of Robotics Plus in robotics and automation will be an important building block in addressing these challenges along with AI-powered data analytics. We are committed to a deliberate approach that prioritizes creating real value for growers while maintaining the high standards of quality and reliability for which Yamaha Motors is known,” says Nolan Paul, Group CEO, Yamaha Agriculture, Inc.
