Agaricus Robotics

Agaricus Robotics Ltd, a high-profile spin-out from the University of Lincoln, was founded in 2021 by Dr. Bashir Al-Diri to address the significant labor shortages within the fresh produce sector. The company is headquartered in Lincoln, United Kingdom. The core focus of Agaricus Robotics is the development of the world's first commercial mushroom harvesting robot designed to autonomously pick individual mushrooms without causing damage. This technology directly confronts the challenges of the mushroom industry, which has traditionally relied on manual harvesting to prevent bruising.

The company's patented robotic system employs an intelligent vision system and a state-of-the-art soft gripper to handle the delicate produce. This system is engineered to operate 24/7, which can lead to yield increases of 20-30% by optimizing harvest times. By automating the picking process, Agaricus Robotics aims to reduce food waste, decrease reliance on labor-intensive processes, and lower production costs for mushroom growers. The business model targets mushroom producers by offering a solution that enhances operational efficiency and productivity. The company is leading the 'Agaricus Robotic Harvester project' in collaboration with the University of Lincoln and Littleport Mushroom Farm, the UK's largest single mushroom farm. This project is supported by funding from the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs' (DEFRA) Farming Innovation Programme and Innovate UK.

Dr. Bashir Al-Diri serves as the Director, Founder, and CTO. The leadership team also includes Simon Pearson as CEO and James O'Mahony as CFO. The company emerged from Ceres Agri-Tech, a knowledge exchange partnership between five UK universities and three agricultural research institutes, backed by Research England and led by Cambridge Enterprise. This foundation provides a strong backing in research and development, positioning the company to scale its technology for global market opportunities. Keywords: agricultural robotics, mushroom harvesting, agritech, food production, automated harvesting, soft robotics, computer vision, farm automation, labor shortage solution, sustainable agriculture, food waste reduction, UK agritech, produce robotics, intelligent automation, University of Lincoln spin-out, DEFRA funding, Innovate UK, Ceres Agri-Tech, horticulture technology, precision agriculture