Yamaha Motor Makes Second Investment In Abundant Robotics, Developer Of Automated Harvesting Solutions

---

Yamaha Motor recently announced a $2.5 million investment in the U.S.-based Abundant Robotics, a developer of robotic harvesting solutions. (Photo courtesy of Yamaha Motor.)

In 2018, Yamaha Motor made a $250,000 investment in U.S.-based startup Abundant Robotics, a company that’s developing what it says is the world’s first commercial apple-harvesting solution. The move was part of Yamaha’s long-term vision for advancing the use of robotics in agriculture. In late March, Yamaha continued to solidify the relationship with Abundant Robotics in the form of an additional $2.5 million investment.

Healthy Fruits & Vegetables

Abundant Robotics says it was founded because “it’s clear that productivity gains from automation are critical for the world’s growing population to continue enjoying healthy fruits and vegetables.” Yamaha says its latest investment was made possible via Yamaha Motor Ventures & Laboratory Silicon Valley (YMVSV), a company group that conducts corporate venture capital activities. YMVSV intends to contribute to labor-shortage solutions and automation in the ag sector by “accelerating the development of robotics technology and unmanned systems.”

---

Abundant Robotics’ automatic apple harvester featuring a dedicated mechanical picking arm is shown here. (Photo courtesy of Yamaha Motor.)

Such investments aren’t new for Yamaha Motor. In 2018, it invested $8 million in Robotics Plus, a New Zealand-based developer of agriculture-focused automation and robotics solutions, including a robotic apple-packing system, robotic kiwifruit harvester, and unmanned ground vehicles for smart orchard and horticultural applications.

Find Specialty Crop Equipment

SpecialtyCropEQ.com provides access to a huge selection of new and used specialty crop agriculture equipment for sale every day, including orchard/vineyard tractors and harvesters.

Source: Yamaha Motor