KEY PARTNERSHIPS

Team AutonomowENGR-245 – Week 8 Presentation

Organic Carrot Field, Avenal, CA

THE BUSINESS PLAN CANVAS UPDATED

•Research Labs•Equipment Manufacturer•Distribution Network•Service Providers• 2 or 3 Key Farms

•Technology Design•Marketing•Demo and customer feedback

•Cost Reduction•Remove labor force pains•Eliminate bio-waste hazards•IP – Patents

•Video Classifier Files•Robust Technology

•Farming conventions.•Demo, demo, and demo!!•Proximity is paramount

•Mid/Large Organic Farmers•Agricultural corporations•Weeding Service Providers

•Mid/Large Conventional Farmers

•Direct Service•Indirect Service• … then Dealers

•Direct Service with equipment rental•Low density: $1,500/d•High density: $6,000/d

Value-Driven• R&D• Bill of Materials• Training & Service• Sales

CARROTBOT

Machine Vision data collection platform Monochrome & Color

Cameras Laser-line sweep

(depth measurement)

Encoders (position/velocity)

Onboard data acquisition & power

CarrotBot 1.0

CARROTBOT – KEY FINDINGS

Light control is critical Adjust for lens focal

length More robust drive

train Next steps:

Hyper-spectral imaging (IR)

Develop process for creating training sets

PARTNERSHIP EVOLUTION

R&D PARTNER: UC DAVIS

Over 10 years of weed recognition and elimination research Hyper-spectral imaging Precision spray of hot organic oil

No plans to start own company

Open to joint proposal

Dr. David Slaughter, UC Davis

Source: “Autonomous robotic weed control systems”, D.C. Slaughter, et. al. Computers & Electronics in

Agriculture, 2008

R&D PARTNER: LZH (GER)Laser Zentrum Hannover German laser research

lab Currently studying using

lasers for weed control Findings:

Effective and efficient Maximal dose of 5 J mm2 CO2 laser better absorbed than

Diode laser

Christian Marx, PhD student

Source: “Laser Light Beams for Weed Control in Horticulture” C. Woltjen, et. al., LZH

EARLY ADOPTION PARTNER: BOLTHOUSE 2nd largest organic

carrot grower in CA Technology-driven

company Key decision makers

are excited by this project

BRIDGE PARTNERS: SERVICE INDUSTRY Service Providers:

Hines Pest and Weed Control (Watsonville, CA) Jack R Weed Control Service (Rocklin, CA) Western Farm Service Inc. (West Coast) Integrated Crop Pest Management & Control

(Salinas, CA) Weed/Pest Management Consultants:

Organic Ag Advisors (North San Juan, CA) The Organic Consulting Firm (Temecula, CA) Crop Production Services, Inc. (California)

SUPPLY CHAIN PARTNERS

Imaging Hardware Lasers

nLight Implement Chassis

Gonzales Machinery & Forge Northern Valley Fab

2011 WORLD AG EXPO

Found a few companies for potential partnership … maybe OEM arrangement Solex Corp, Gonzales Machinery, Trimble

Checking out the competition – RoboCrop. Only technology of its type, very rudimentary.

Q&A

Q&A:

INCOME STATEMENT Key Assumptions:

Revenue:•# Machines goes from•Billable Days per machine from• Average Price goes from $ per rental

day (Tech I to Tech II)

Costs – COGS:• Equipment expenses are $xx (Tech I)

and $xx(Tech II). Useful life: xyrs• Long-term: one trainer/operator per

xmach.• Fixed maint. cost are xx% of equip.

exp.• Variable maint. cost are $x/billable

day

Costs – OPEX:• X CS/MS engineers in R&D• Sales force goes up from x to xreps• General Managers go up from x to

xVPs• Staff goes up from x to x clerks

• No debt in the first x years

(backup)