Robots armed with vacuums and UV light battle pests in California strawberries
California strawberry growers are turning to autonomous robots equipped with ultraviolet (UV) light and high-powered vacuums to reduce pesticide use, control pests more precisely, and cut labour costs. U.S.-based TRIC Robotics offers this as a full-service solution for chemical-free pest control.
By offering this as a full-service solution, TRIC says it helps farmers improve profitability while responding to rising consumer demand for chemical-free produce.
Its latest innovation, the Luna platform, is a multi-row robot designed specifically for strawberry farms. Luna can carry a variety of payloads, including a boom for UV treatments, bug vacuums, and cameras that capture real-time plant analytics. With remote start and monitoring features, multiple robots can be deployed together to cover large farms efficiently.
TRIC’s Eden platform is also designed for UV application. Spanning more than 40 ft (1,219 cm), the three-wheeled robot mirrors the size and shape of conventional spray rigs, allowing it to manoeuvre through farms with tight turns and obstacles. Automated boom height and wing adjustments ensure precise dosing even across uneven rows.
Focus in one place
The team first partnered with grower Bobby Fifer of Fifer Orchards, Delaware’s largest strawberry producer. “Bobby that told us if we wanted to start a company, we better move to California, where 90% of the strawberry market is today.”
They took that advice. “It was important to focus all effort in one place to maximize efficiency. It is really difficult to support operations on both sides of the country when you are just getting started.”
Now headquartered in San Luis Obispo, California, TRIC Robotics has recently raised a $5.5 million seed round led by Version One Ventures . The funding will accelerate development of its autonomous robot fleet and support expansion into new crop markets in the future.
Tackling growers’ biggest challenges
Founder and CEO Adam Stager says strawberry growers face three major challenges: chemical resistance, which reduces effectiveness; regulatory pressure, which limits availability; and rising labour costs coupled with worker shortages.
He stresses that farmers are not necessarily seeking out robots. “For farmers, it is more about solving problems. Sometimes a robot is the right way to do that, but only if it makes sense economically. Farmers are running a business, so it makes sense that profitability drives a lot of the decisions.”
UV light has been proven effective in controlling a wide range of pests and diseases. In strawberries, key targets include two-spotted spider mites, powdery mildew, and botrytis. Results have also been achieved against Lewis mite, whitefly, and nymphal stages of lygus.
But since UV alone cannot eliminate every pest, TRIC has expanded the functionality of its platforms. “After running our robots with UV light for a couple of years farmers started asking us if there was more that we could do with the same robot,” Stager says.
“Our bug vacuum sucks up some of the bugs that we don’t treat with light, and you can think of it like a bug on a windshield. There are baffles that the bugs hit at high speed after getting sucked up. Typically, farmers run this kind of vacuum with a traditional tractor. It runs off of the hydraulic system which introduces additional maintenance, can be less reliable due to jams, and since it can only cover 3-rows, it is inefficient from a labour and fuel standpoint.”
Cutting chemicals, boosting profits
“We decided to add this to Luna and run it in parallel with the light. Not only is this more efficient by reducing labour and fuel, we also cover twice as many rows per pass and with our fully electric fans, we are much more reliable. Our new design creates more uniform airflow and ultimately picks up more than twice the number of bugs per pass than the traditional bug vacuums.”
Running the robots at night brings further advantages. Stager points to strong results against pests such as spotted wing drosophila, while daytime operations benefit from less disruption in the fields. “Getting the vacuum with its noise and debris out of the field during the day also makes for better environment for the rest of the field crews.”
California strawberry growers face mounting pressure to reduce chemical inputs while meeting strict sustainability standards. TRIC Robotics reports that its robots can cut pesticide use by as much as 70%. “We like to think of UV as a tool that can be used as part of a farmers integrated pest management strategy,” Stager says. “Although we have seen farmers replace as much as 70% of their planned spray program, it will depend a lot on the field.”
He points to fields where powdery mildew is a recurring problem. “When a farmer uses our solution, they will not only see a dramatic increase in plant health, they will also reduce chemical use substantially. The difference is so clear that you can see it just by walking through the field. But even with all of the benefits, I still believe the best proof is how fast farmers are adopting the technology,” Stager says.
The efficiency automation brings to the farm
With regulators tightening rules and consumers demanding organic produce, momentum is building. Still, Stager makes clear: “We aren’t necessarily against chemicals or conventional farming. We are however against chemicals that don’t work.”
Strawberries remain among the most labour-intensive and pesticide-dependent crops in California. Rising labour costs and a shrinking workforce only add to the challenge. “We believe automation can help with both of these,” Stager explains. “It can bring an incredible amount of efficiency to the farm. We also reduce hazardous labour associated with chemical sprays by bringing the robot to the farm. And we have already started to add additional capabilities like the vacuum which can further reduce the need for additional tractor passes in the field.”
He adds that automation reduces reliance on a small number of specially trained workers. “Running sprayers or bug vacuums require special training, so there is a risk for farmers who depend on very few people to do these tasks. With automation we can program the system to perform a task once and then scale it up rapidly.”
Ultimately, Stager expects that TRIC Robotics will deliver more than a replacement for sprays. “A lot of the difficulty is in getting a tractor-scale robot on the farm, but once it is there, we can add a dramatically disproportionate value to cost. We like to say that strawberries will be the next gold rush. By using our solutions, we can remove so much inefficiency that farmers can make huge profits. We believe TRIC can be extremely successful, and we can even do all this while reducing the overall cost of food.”
