Arugga AI Farming

Arugga AI Farming is an Israeli company based in Kfar Monash that develops ground robots to treat and monitor individual plants in greenhouses. The company describes its work as building several kinds of robot for more efficient and sustainable growing. It says it was the first to commercialise a robot that replicates bumblebee buzz pollination in tomato greenhouses. Its robots pollinate without the delays and risks that come with bee hives. The platform is aimed at growers facing labour shortages, pest pressure and variable yields.

Robotic tasks

• Automated pollination: robots pollinate tomato flowers from the first day, without the hive lifespan limits that affect live bumblebees.
• Plant lowering: the platform is expanding from pollination into operations such as lowering plants.
• Monitoring: robots collect data inside the greenhouse to track crop development, detect pests early and check flower-level information in real time.

The site says the robots have pollinated tomato flowers under red LED lighting with the screens closed, conditions where bumblebees cannot work, and links this to energy savings in winter.

Results for growers

The company reports yield improvements of 3 to 7 percent in greenhouses where its robots have been deployed. It says labour accounts for 30 to 50 percent of greenhouse operating costs. Its data supports yield forecasting, resource planning and decisions across varieties and seasons. Growers in the Netherlands are among its customers, and the company says its robots help address labour shortages.

Key facts

• Based in: Kfar Monash, Israel
• Products: pollination robots, plant-lowering robots, greenhouse monitoring data
• Markets: greenhouse growers, including in the Netherlands