Communications of the ACM
NEC X Announces Fifth AI Start-Up from its Corporate Accelerator Program
Beagle Technology's artificial intelligence solution for the vineyard sector incorporates machine vision and robot control technologies.
Credit: Beagle Technology
NEC Corporation and NEC X, the innovation accelerator for NEC's emerging technologies, announced Beagle Technology as the fifth startup to graduate from the NEC X Corporate Accelerator Program (CAP).
Beagle Technology has developed unique computer vision and robot control technologies, supported by NEC technology researchers, to automate pruning and shoot thinning of wine grapevines. The machine detects the height and depth of vines using computer vision. It then adjusts, locates clippers, and cuts vines at precise locations. This patent-pending solution replaces manual operation, provides improved accuracy and speed, and reduces cost by about 25% for pruning and 70% for shoot thinning.
"Beagle Technology implemented an AI solution in an effort to address the decreasing labor force in the agriculture industry," said Shige Ihara, CEO of NEC X. "They put their solution to use in real-life scenarios by testing 400 acres for pruning with several paying clients they obtained during the customer validation phase of NEC X CAP. In addition, they started a paid shoot thinning trial this year involving 250 acres with one of the top Washington-based commercial growers. We are very impressed with their success and excited to see Beagle Technology spin out of NEC X and move on to the next phase of their growth."
From Global Newswire
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