Jul 28, 2022

Nexus Robotics receives $2.6 million to advance self-driving weeders

Nexus Robotics Inc. recently received $2.6 million in grant funding to create the next generation of autonomous weeding robots.

The funding, from Sustainable Development Technology Canada, is designed to help provide farmers with environmentally friendly options.

“This grant not only confirms our technology advancement and the potential of our business model, it also confirms our ESG (environmental, social and governance) status and ensures our capacity to pursue our R&D roadmap,” Luc Labbé, CEO, said in a news release.

Nexus Robotics is based in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec.

Using a unique combination of articulated arms, artificial intelligence and advanced algorithms to remove weeds and treat diseased plants, the self-driving robots help increase crop yield. In measurable terms, a single Nexus robot can help reduce herbicide and fungicide application by 50%, and does the work up to five employees in weeding-related tasks.

The company is rolling out the second generation of Nexus Robotics field robots in Canadian fields for the summer. They will be moving to California later this year to allow for a continuous improvement of the AI software powering the machines over the winter months.

Nexus Robotics representatives are attending the 2022 FIRA-USA convention in Fresno, California, Oct. 18-20, with field demonstrations on Oct. 20.