Connect with us

Technology

Aigen Unveils the World’s First AI-Driven, Solar-Powered, Agricultural Robotics Service

Published

on

The fossil fuel-free Aigen Element helps farmers 
reduce chemicals in food, and improve human and planetary health

SEATTLE, June 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Aigen, a Seattle-based agricultural technology startup, today unveiled a groundbreaking autonomous, scalable robotics platform, powered entirely by solar and wind energy. Leveraging proprietary, quantized AI, the Aigen Element service is the only farming solution that decreases fossil fuel use, while also providing farmers with invaluable real-time field insights, increased time savings, and reduced costs.

 

“Aigen was founded on the idea that there should be an alternative to the fossil fuels and pesticides used to produce our food. We have been working closely with farmers, like my family in Minnesota, to develop a solar-powered, on-edge AI platform that makes precision Ag scalable,” said Rich Wurden, co-founder and CTO of Aigen. “We are excited to share those tools with the introduction of the Aigen Element.”

Earlier this year, 2024 and 2025 pre-orders for the Element Service sold out in one day, further demonstrating the excitement among U.S. commodity farmers for more effective approaches to weeding. In the U.S. alone, farmers use 900 million pounds of herbicide annually, and in the next few years, costs are expected to exceed $100 per acre. Plus, in 2019, farm equipment released 100,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions.

“Farmers tell us again and again that weeds are the number one problem they face. So, that’s where we’re starting: developing a solution for farmers to immediately reduce their costs and get rid of weeds, all while growing healthier crops,” said Kenny Lee, Aigen’s co-founder and CEO. “The benefits of our advanced, lightweight, super agile robots go far beyond weeding. We are excited to deliver field-level network connectivity and real-time data and insights that farmers can access from anywhere.”

Artificial Intelligence, Powered by Renewable Energy
Aigen’s unique robotic solution is possible thanks to the company’s proprietary quantized AI, which is so efficient it can run exclusively on renewable energy. “The average cell phone needs 4 Watts of power. Our AI models need only 1.5W, and everything about our vehicle is just as efficient. Paired with a custom 205W solar panel, our robots often generate a power surplus at the end of a full day of running,” added Wurden.

Plant-Level Data, Planetary Connectivity
Aigen’s vehicles continuously transmit field and crop data to an in-house developed mobile app, offering farmers real-time insights. “We’re bringing satellite technology down to earth, and deploying mesh network connectivity built on a robust, self-reliant hardware platform. This offers farmers higher resolution, real-time data and helps them get ahead of problems,” said Puneet Khattar, Aigen’s head of electrical engineering, who previously worked on Amazon’s satellite program and at SpaceX.

Rugged and Agile Hardware
Every aspect of the Aigen Element robot is built for maximum efficiency on the farm. The lightweight frame and solar panel, paired with regenerative motors and rugged suspension, allow the robots to effectively navigate and weed row crops for up to 14 hours a day in nearly any weather condition.

The Aigen Element Service will debut on over 20,000 acres of U.S. farmland in 2024.

About Aigen
At Aigen, we believe in a future with no harmful chemicals in our food – where farmers prosper, people thrive, and the planet flourishes.

With roots in farming, electric vehicles, robotics and impact investing, Rich Wurden and Kenny Lee founded Aigen in 2020 to connect farmers to breakthrough technologies, decarbonize agriculture, and improve human and planetary health. Aigen’s Element vehicles can autonomously navigate, weed, and analyze row crops without any chemicals or diesel fuel. Offered as a service, Aigen’s vehicles reduce farmers’ workload and their reliance on fossil fuels, while increasing their crop and soil health.

Seattle-based Aigen is backed by New Enterprise Associates, Bessemer Venture Partners, Cleveland Avenue, ReGen VC, Global Founders Capital, Industrious Ventures, E2JDJ, and AgFunder.

Learn more at aigen.io.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aigen-unveils-the-worlds-first-ai-driven-solar-powered-agricultural-robotics-service-301868463.html

SOURCE Aigen

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Technology

Quote.com Announces New Senior Leadership Additions

Published

on

By

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., April 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Quote.com, a leading tech-enabled, omnichannel performance marketing organization, today announced the addition of two new executive team members to support the company’s continued growth and strategic expansion. Chase Nichols joins as Chief Marketing Officer and Ben Hochstetler as Senior Vice President of Marketing.

Quote.com announced the addition of two new executive team members, Chase Nichols and Ben Hochstetler.

The appointments strengthen Quote.com’s leadership team as the company continues to invest in execution, growth, and expanding its ability to help consumers access insurance solutions more easily and efficiently. “We are excited to welcome Chase and Ben to the Quote.com leadership team,” said Nick Stommes, Chief Executive Officer at Quote.com. “Both bring deep industry expertise, experienced execution capability, and a strong focus on operational excellence that will help accelerate our growth while improving how consumers access and compare insurance options. Their leadership will play a critical role at Quote.com as we continue scaling our platform and strengthening our partnerships.”

Chase Nichols joins Quote.com as Chief Marketing Officer; Chase is responsible for all performance marketing planning, organization, and execution, and is focused on driving efficient, measurable consumer touchpoints. With nearly two decades of experience in financial services and performance marketing environments, he brings a data-first approach to scaling growth while balancing brand development and direct-response marketing.

Ben Hochstetler joins as Senior Vice President of Marketing, leading digital marketing strategy and execution across Quote.com’s omnichannel performance marketing footprint. He brings more than 15 years of experience building and scaling performance marketing execution in highly competitive and regulated markets.

About Quote.com

Quote.com is a tech-enabled omnichannel performance marketing organization that delivers high-quality, mission-critical demand at scale to industry-leading partners. The company serves customers across multiple insurance verticals, including auto, home, life, and Medicare insurance. Quote.com provides significant value to consumers by providing an independent, third-party comparison-shopping experience.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/quotecom-announces-new-senior-leadership-additions-302749492.html

SOURCE Quote.com

Continue Reading

Technology

Young Voices Across Oceans: Telling China’s Story Fiji Special Showcases GDI Achievements

Published

on

By

SHENZHEN, China, April 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — This year marks the 5th anniversary of the Global Development Initiative (GDI). Shenzhen Media Group’s “Telling China’s Story” program presents a special Fiji season, taking the perspective of young Chinese people to the Pacific island nation of Fiji. It documents the implementation of numerous cooperative projects which are smaller in scale but well-designed, showcasing the heartwarming stories and broad prospects of China and Fiji working together to promote common development and share the fruits of cooperation, vividly illustrating the practical achievements of the GDI.

 

The program will air from April 20th to 22nd, 2026. The first episode features Chinese actor Zhao Xiaotong, food blogger Yang Beichuan, and Wu Dongwei, a doctoral student at China Agricultural University, who visit the China-Fiji Juncao Technology Demonstration Center in Nadi, Fiji, to explore how this “Happiness Juncao” from China has taken root and grown in the South Pacific island nation, benefiting people’s livelihoods.

This “Happiness Juncao” has yielded “win-win results” in Fiji, bringing tangible changes to local families. Internet technology engineer Ashmir not only gained a stable income by learning Juncao (a type of grass cultivation) to grow mushrooms, but also successfully paid off his car loan.

During this filming, a “Mushroom Team” of young Chinese people joined Ashmir in a Fijian market to promote mushroom dishes and introduce locals to various new ways to enjoy mushrooms. The humble mushroom became a bond of friendship across mountains and seas, conveying the warm sentiments of mutual understanding between the Chinese and Fijian people amidst the bustling market atmosphere.

 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/young-voices-across-oceans-telling-chinas-story-fiji-special-showcases-gdi-achievements-302750267.html

SOURCE Shenzhen Media Group

Continue Reading

Technology

Laminar Wins Gold 2026 Edison Award for Physical AI that Powers the Self-Driving Factory

Published

on

By

Top honor recognizes Laminar’s innovation and transformation in the CPG manufacturing industry

BOSTON, April 22, 2026 /CNW/ — Laminar, a physical AI solution helping the world’s leading manufacturers run more productive and sustainable factories, announced that it received a Gold 2026 Edison Award in the Manufacturing & Logistics category. The award recognizes Laminar for enabling food and beverage manufacturers to unlock new levels of productivity and sustainability through innovation – running faster production lines while cutting water, chemicals, and downtime.

“Laminar is leading the way CPG manufacturers implement physical AI on the factory floor with first-of-their-kind self-driving processes,” said Annie Lu, Laminar Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder. “Our patented spectral sensors and complete library of ML models enable a new, transformative approach to closed-loop automation, making the goal of the self-driving factory achievable today. We are honored the Edison Awards recognized our commitment to building a new category of technology and reshaping the future of manufacturing.”

Laminar’s physical AI transforms operations by enabling CPG manufacturers to transition from manual, timer-based operations to self-driving. Deployed across six continents for Coca-Cola, AB InBev, Danone, and Unilever, Laminar delivers measurable sustainability and profitability gains from the same investment. Laminar’s self-driving processes include:

Self-Driving Clean-in-PlaceSelf-Driving Product ChangeoverSelf-Driving Batch OptimizationSelf-Driving Quality ControlAnd more

The Edison Awards, established in 1987 and named in honor of inventor Thomas Edison, celebrates game-changing innovation across industries worldwide. Drawing a global community of innovators across 60+ countries, the Edison Awards elevate solutions that reimagine our future.

Recognition for Laminar’s Innovation

Headquartered at Greentown Labs in Somerville, MA – North America’s leading cleantech incubator – Laminar is a woman-founded startup backed by top-tier investors, including Greycroft, Construct Capital, 2048 Ventures, and Flybridge Capital.

Recognized for its innovation and impact, Laminar received AB InBev’s 2024 Cheers Award for outstanding startup partnership and was named Unilever’s 2023 Supplier Startup of the Year. Laminar’s solution is also deployed in World Economic Forum Lighthouse factories recognized for their leadership in cutting-edge technology.

About Laminar

Laminar’s physical AI helps the world’s leading manufacturers run self-driving factories with more sustainable, efficient operations. Our patented spectral sensors and complete library of ML models transform manual operations into self-driving processes that cut water, chemicals, and downtime in real-time. Deployed in factories across six continents and trusted by global leaders like AB InBev, Coca-Cola, and Unilever, Laminar is building a new category of physical AI that will power the future of process manufacturing. Learn more at runlaminar.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/laminar-wins-gold-2026-edison-award-for-physical-ai-that-powers-the-self-driving-factory-302749392.html

SOURCE Laminar

Continue Reading

Trending