Acquisition Of AI Company Validates Rapid Trend Towards Ag-robotics

On April 8, 2021, an applied technology company, AppHarvest, announced that it acquired Root AI, an artificial intelligence start-up that develops robotic systems to help manage in-door farms. While the prospect of a greenhouse purchasing a tech company may seem unorthodox today, AppHarvest's proactive acquisition represents foresight in an industry on the cusp of what promises to be a near-complete transformation to meet lofty consumer expectations.

What you need to know

• AppHarvest is an applied technology company working to revolutionize farming by building large high-tech indoor farms that generate more produce and use less water.
• Root AI develops autonomous solutions designed to manage in-door farming activity. Its robotic universal harvester, Virgo, can effectively harvest produce while evaluating crop health, predicting crop yield, and most importantly, relieving human crop care specialists to focus on more challenging and complex tasks.