Efficient farm management in a challenging climate
The idea of Egrobots was conceived, when Akhlad Alabhar (Founder & CEO), a computer engineer by education, was working as an AI team leader at Alinma Bank in Saudi Arabia. Alongside his corporate job, Akhlad owned a small date palm farm in Egypt together with some friends. This farm was meant to be a side project fuelled by passion for agriculture, but soon it became a significant challenge. With a job located far away from the farm, managing the farm became quite difficult. Ideally, such a farm requires constant monitoring and care to maintain stable parameters such as fertilization and irrigation to ensure optimal results. In the case of pests such as weevils, for example, it is important to detect them in a timely manner so that action can be taken quickly to preventor limit the damage caused by the parasites.
Akhlad faced numerous issues typical to many farms in the region - irregular watering, undetected pest infestations and the impacts of changing climate conditions. On his farm, irrigation problems and a red weevil infestation that was not detected in time have had serious consequences. Due to the lack of effective monitoring and management they lost about 60% of their trees over a relatively short period, resulting in a great loss of resources for the farm.
For Akhlad, his experience only highlighted a broader problem in agriculture, particularly in regions struggling with climate change. It became clear that there was a need for better tools to help farmers monitor their crops and make data-driven decisions. Recognizing this gap in the market, Akhlad decided to leverage his background in AI and data analytics to create a solution. The vision was to develop a technology that could provide farmers with real-time data and insights, enabling them to optimize their resources and adapt to changing conditions more effectively. The first prototypes of the “Egrobots”, made of very basic components, were created by Akhlad in his home. When he shared a video describing his idea on Facebook, Akhlad received great positive feedback from interested farmers, who requested his technology for their farms.
In 2022, Egrobots was registered as a company. The core team also consists of Mohammed Abdullatif as CTO with a Ph.D. in Computer Vision and Abdelrahman Hasseb as the Agronomy Lead. The start-up has since grown to a team of 14 people, including software developers, robotics engineers and agricultural experts.
“We are insatiably curious and driven innovators. With a strong respect for farming heritage, we strive to find better ways to create value for retailers, advisors and growers”
, explains Akhlad proudly. This team has already encountered and overcome many challenges that come with establishing a young company; the main ones including adapting their technology to various crop types and farm sizes, building trust with traditional and usually risk-averse farmers and scaling their operations while maintaining quality. The name "Egrobots" is a combination of "Egypt" and "robots", reflecting the company´s origin and their use of robotics in agriculture.
Robots – little farmer´s helpers with big impact
Egrobot´s innovation lies in using AI-powered robots for precision agriculture. Their robots collect high-resolution data at the individual plant level, which is then analyzed by their AI to provide actionable insights to farmers. Although there are competitors with different technologies on the market, this young company´s solution provides the highest data value with the lowest prices yet available.
The robot is programmed to roam through the farm autonomously and collect data such as temperature and humidity for the soil as well as for each individual plant. The submillimetre image resolution is so clear, that the user can distinguish between different insect damages, lesions, different nutrient deficiencies, weed species etc. Multi-layer analysis of imagery delivered by satellites and drones or airplanes provides high insight context and quality. Egrobots works with experts from Cairo universityto inform and train proprietary AI and Machine Learning algorithms, perfecting current knowledge and enabling adaptability for new threats.
The processed data is then accessible to the farmers through a handy mobile app, giving them the possibility to surveil the well-being of their crops in real time - independent of the actual presence of the farmer.
“We realized that if we could automate data collection and analysis, we could significantly improve farm productivity and sustainability”
, explains Akhlad. Furthermore, a management platform allows the users to connect with other farmers, suppliers and byers for greater efficiency.Egrobot´s approach is sustainability oriented, because it allows for targeted interventions. Instead of blanket applications of fertilizers or pesticides, farmers can apply inputs only where and when needed, reducing waste and environmental impact. The health and yield of the crops is also increased by the early detection of needs, which enables fast and precise action. Furthermore, predictive planning for future agricultural management is made possible. This approach additionally creates a social impact, as the increased yield of crops means higher food security for the population. The robots have a depreciation time of 5 to 7 years. After a robot has reached the end of its lifetime, its body materials are reused and a specialized recycling partner disposes of the electronic parts. This approach increases the responsibility and sustainability in the handling of materials.
The young company is connected with several startups in the agritech space, including those working on sustainable fertilizers and precision irrigation systems, which complement their data-driven approach.
Next steps for Egrobots
Currently, Egrobots is focusing on scaling up their operations, particularly in the MENA region. They are also continuously improving their AI algorithms and expanding their robot fleet.
Egrobots future plans include expanding into new markets, particularly in Africa and the Middle East, developing new features for their platform and exploring partnerships with larger agricultural companies.
With their innovative solution, Egrobots, who joined the ISC3 Global Start-up Service in April 2024 is actively contributing to SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 15 (Life on Land).
