Brazilian Agricultural Startup Solinftec Develops Precision Robots for Large Farms in the US and Brazil

JAKARTA - Brazilian agricultural startup, Solinftec, plans to speed up the delivery of its agricultural robots in Brazil and the United States, as revealed by its CEO Britaldo Hernandez in an interview. This is indicative of a growing demand for "precision farming" tools in the world's two largest food manufacturers.

Selling for USD 50,000 (IDR 760 million), the Solix AG Robotics unit can explore plants and monitor the progress of individual plants, as well as geotarget spray herbicides to save costs.

"Solinftec plans to deliver 40 robots to customers this year and 250 next year in the US and Brazil," Hernandez said. This number is up from only 20 units shipped in 2022.

Solinftec says they can produce 1,600 robots a year at two plants, one in Brazil and one in the US.

The company claims that it is the first robot developed for large-scale farming. Like other precision farming technologies such as drones and satellite imagery, these robots aim to help food producers avoid waste and use analytics to increase crop yields and adopt more sustainable production practices.

According to Hernandez, the machine, powered by artificial intelligence, includes a "hunter" feature that eliminates insects using a beam of light and electric shock, Hernandez said.

"It can roam 24/7 on agricultural property, so it can understand and act within the entire agricultural ecosystem," he said. "We want robots that live on farms."

Farmers in US corn areas who tested the robotic sprayer feature reduced herbicide use by an average of 95%, according to a Solinftec statement.

Hernandez said the robot, which runs on solar power, can monitor a wide variety of crops, including soybeans, corn, sugarcane, onions, potatoes and tomatoes.

Solinftec, which is backed by the Brazilian Trajano family, which also owns the Magazine Luiza retail empire, claims to have a recurring revenue of USD 60 million (IDR 912 billion) per year.

Hernandez also stated that sugar giant Raizen was one of the companies taking delivery of the Solinftec robot, while grain giant Amaggi was already using it. About 300 clients have placed their orders and are currently awaiting delivery, according to company disclosures