Five Robotics Failures and What Developers Can Learn From Them

Abundant Robotics sells farming assets

Technology developers have dreamed of automating everything from planting seeds in the ground to presenting cooked meals to diners. Founded in 2016, Abundant Robotics promised to automate apple picking.

Last month, the company announced that it is selling its intellectual property and assets. It blamed the COVID-19 pandemic for preventing it from getting “market traction” for its system, which used machine vision to identify ripe fruits and a suction tool to pick and place them.

This failure may be more about a startup running short of funding during the pandemic than the long-term potential of its technology. As worker shortages continue, so too will trials of agricultural robots that developers hope will be able to dexterously pick fruits and vegetables without damaging them.