Small Robot Co

The company developed a suite of robots named Tom, Dick, and Harry, managed by an AI platform called Wilma. Tom was a monitoring robot that scanned fields to gather detailed data on every plant. Dick was designed for precision spraying and weeding, and Harry for precision planting. This "Per-Plant Farming" approach was designed to reduce chemical usage by up to 90-95% and costs by up to 60%. The service model involved farmers paying a per-hectare subscription, making the technology accessible without significant capital investment in machinery. The company co-designed its services with farmers and successfully launched a commercial grass weed detection service, a world first, which demonstrated significant savings on herbicides and fertilisers.

Despite its technological achievements and having customers, SRC faced financial difficulties. After a lead investor pulled out in 2023, the company turned to crowdfunding but could not secure the investment required to scale its operations. In February 2024, Small Robot Company entered liquidation, appointing administrators to sell its assets with the hope of preserving the technology and team.