For those who think the world of high technology looks only with scorn at Midwestern “flyover country,” FarmWise is proof otherwise. Two and a half years ago, the Silicon Valley company’s founders had an idea for a chemical-free method of removing weeds in big farming operations: an autonomous weeding robot. That’s a focus that obviously offers big potential benefits to much of middle America. Today their machines are actively working in farm fields.
“We wanted to build an automated machine for farmers,” said Thomas Palomares, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer for FarmWise. “We saw the labor challenges, the problems with chemicals and all the regulations around them, and we had an idea to help.” So he and his friend Sébastien Boyer (now the company’s CEO) formed their startup, conducting a seed round of funding in December 2017 and raising $5.7 million. They designed and built a prototype automated weeder, one that can drive over the field and discern between the crop and the weeds, physically removing weeds while leaving the desired plants unharmed. Once they had a working model, they conducted successful preliminary trials in California’s growing regions.
Then they ran into a little snag. They had machines to build, but no good way to make them in quantity. “We had a big challenge – getting everything ready for a huge scale-up of machine-making,” Palomares said. “That meant all aspects of scaling – not just manufacturing, but support, shipping, hardware, and more as machines hit the fields.”
FarmWise connected with PlanetM, a Michigan partnership that connects mobility companies and investors with the state’s automotive manufacturers and ecosystem. Soon, the high-tech startup company was partnered with Detroit-based Roush Industries, a premier design and manufacturing firm built on a history in high-performance auto racing. “We’ve been known for many things over time,” said Evan Lyall, CEO of Roush. “Now we specialize in product development, commercialization, and engineering consultation.” Roush Industries is a subsidiary of Roush Enterprises, which also includes companies such as Roush Performance, Roush CleanTech, and Roush Fenway Racing.
The concept FarmWise was after isn’t entirely new to Roush. They’ve already been involved in Google’s Waymo project, the self-driving automobile initiative that started a decade ago. “We have other things in the works in a similar vein as well – but those are confidential,” Lyall said.
Roush was just what FarmWise was looking for. “This was a great opportunity for FarmWise to make use of Roush’s capabilities,” said Lyall. “We can serve as a bridge between low and super-high production volume. As they get big, we can help them move to automated systems, and move their manufacturing to scale.”
“This is a very exciting partnership and exchange of knowledge,” said Palomares. “It’s giving us exposure into what it takes to make long-lasting products for harsh environments. Roush already had an extensive knowledge of what works – and it’s impossible to re-invent everything.”
Another part of the partnership is with the farmers themselves. “We’ve been working with farmers from day one,” Palomares explained. “We’ve shared what we’re doing and we’ve been getting their feedback on a daily basis. We wanted to make sure we’re building a machine they want, and that they’re willing to pay for.”
The farming angle was a learning opportunity for Roush as well. “This is an interesting example of how the world is changing,” Lyall said. “From our end, we’ve seen it before in automotive, aerospace, and defense – the increasing use of automated vehicles. Now we’re seeing it in agriculture.
“We’re proud of the partnership,” he added. “It’s great to help make tech come to life quicker, in a way that will benefit all of us.”
FarmWise is currently conducting a final review of all their product design drawings and manufacturing processes as they approach their scale-up. Their plan is to produce around a dozen weeding machines by the end of this year, then ramp up from there.
“We’ve got their supply chain all set up,” said Lyall. “The scale-up will offer an opportunity to continue to refine it.”
FarmWise will continue to refine from their end as well. “This is what it means to bring innovation together with knowledge in a given field,” Palomares said. “We’re building new technology on top of existing things that already work very well. We don’t have to disrupt everything.”
For the future, FarmWise will consider other applications. Once they’ve got their autonomous weeder in full production, they plan to look at other potential farming applications for their technology, including fertilization, which their technology can optimize for individual crops.
In the meantime, both companies are proud of their partnership and how it’s brought very different skill sets – and very different areas of the country – together. “This is just a great example of Silicon Valley and the Midwest working together,” said Lyall. “It’s the California technology startup FarmWise bringing their expertise to bear on a common farm problem, and then taking advantage of the industrial knowledge in the Midwest for manufacturing.”
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