Naïo Technologies, the French expert in autonomous Ag robots has just celebrated its 10th anniversary and 60,000 hours of operations under real conditions. The company is scaling up its development now: next January, its vineyard robot will be presented exclusively to the American market at CES 2022 in Las Vegas. Named CES 2022 Innovation Awards in the Robotics category, TED intends to confirm the relevance of the Robot as a Service – RaaS - model to Californian partners in search of solutions to reduce pesticide use and address labour issues.
A pioneer in agricultural robotics, Naïo Technologies designs, manufactures and markets 100% electric autonomous robots to assist farmers in their daily tasks and thus help lighten the workload, optimize the profitability of farms while limiting the use of chemical inputs. With 70 employees in 2021, Naïo has currently 230 robots running in more than 20 countries, with a total of 60,000 accumulated operating hours. Naïo Technologies strongly believes modern technology is here to solve old problems by using an innovative approach. We’re currently working on various projects to illustrate our expertise and know-how. One of these projects is a new straddling robot that will improve working conditions for wine growers and reduce their workload while respecting nature and the environment.
TED the vineyard robot selected at CES 2022
Naïo Technologies has been active in the United States since 2019 with Dino, its mechanical weeding robot for vegetables. The company is now taking things to the next level and CES 2022 will provide a showcase for its international opening.
"Labour issues and the need to reduce the use of pesticides are global challenges", explains Ingrid Sarlandie, COO for Naïo Technologies. "With its autonomous agricultural robots Oz, Dino and Ted, Naïo addresses these issues to ensure a sustainable agricultural production in phase with people and the environment". The TED solution will be commissioned and will run demos using a RaaS – Robot as a Service – business model for new customers in California. RaaS will allow wine-growers to enjoy economic benefits while quickly addressing the labour shortage they face, and it is a strong market demand. TED is participating in the global innovation show for the first me and is among the honorees for the CES Innovation Award 2022 with dozens of innovation leaders in robotics for a more sustainable agriculture.
TED in “RaaS” mode for US customers as of January 2022
From January 2022 onwards, TED will be commissioned and will run demos on the RaaS - Robot as a Service - model for new customers in California. RaaS will allow wine-growers to enjoy economic benefits while quickly addressing the labour shortage they face, and it is a strong market demand. With 60,000 operating hours to its credit, Naïo is now looking to leverage its extensive experience with new
customers for the vineyard.
"In France, TED is already at work for big brands such as Hennessy and Grands Chais de France", adds Julien Laffont, Strategy and Development Manager at Naïo Technologies. “We have acquired a great deal of expertise on American soil with Dino: now that we have eight robots in service and over 5,000 hectares weeded, it is time for Naïo to expand its presence in the United States on the wine-growing market with TED, but also with our historical robot Oz which is about to become available throughout the United States thanks to a distribution network that is currently being deployed”.
A Naïo USA office already well-established with a team of 14 people
Salinas is located in the heart of agriculture in Northern California, but the team is supporting customers throughout California all the way down to Arizona. It is also close to the winemaking regions along the central California coast and northern California. The company will connue to hire employees in the Salinas office to meet the growing demand. With Ingrid Sarlandie recently joining the team as Chief Operation Officer (COO), Naïo US reinforces its positioning:
"Naïo Technologies is the TESLA of agricultural robotics", says Ingrid Sarlandie.
New robots for 2022
The company will display its solutions at CES 2022 in Las Vegas, with this event being the official launch of operations in North America. Come and meet the Naïo Technologies team under the pavilion of the Occitanie Region, booth number 60415-20. CES 2022 will therefore mark the beginning of a year filled with new developments for Naïo Technologies. New robots will complement its existing range of three, with the promise of a controlled, proven and easy-to-use navigation and to its patented safety system. The team will be strengthened by new hires, in order to meet the growing demand.
Find Naio's press release here.