Farming technology start-up Hippo Harvest is focused on changing that by improving the accessibility and scalability of controlled environment agriculture (CEA). Led by a team of tech industry veterans, the company leverages advanced plant science, machine learning and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs; Zebra Robotics Automation) to cultivate lettuce that can withstand the challenges posed by droughts, floods and other extreme weather conditions.
"My career up to Hippo Harvest had been technology for technology's sake," says Eitan Marder-Eppstein, CEO at Hippo Harvest. "At Hippo Harvest, I've had the opportunity to leverage technology for real impact."
Hippo Harvest was established in 2019 to make food systems more resilient in uncertain conditions. The company partnered with Zebra Robotics Automation to make greenhouse farming as cost-effective and scalable as outdoor farming.
Rather than using tractors like in traditional farming, Hippo Harvest uses Zebra's Fetch AMRs. The mobile robots come with customizable attachments and software to water crops, provide nutrients, move plants, perform sensing and imaging tasks, and even keep the greenhouse clean by vacuuming. "Zebra's Fetch100 system is the absolute workhorse of our farm," says Ivonna Dumanyan, chief business officer at Hippo Harvest. "It's the platform on which all our capabilities are built."
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