eternal.ag raises 8 million euros for greenhouse automation

The Cologne-based robotics start-up eternal.ag has completed a financing round of 8 million euros. The aim is to further advance the development of autonomous harvesting robots and to scale their use in European greenhouses. Investors include Simon Capital, Oyster Bay Venture Capital and the Swiss investors EquityPitcher Ventures and Backbone Ventures.

Automation as the answer to structural challenges

Greenhouses are becoming increasingly important for the year-round supply of fresh fruit and vegetables. They are considered more resilient to climate change, extreme weather conditions, land scarcity and pest infestation than traditional open-air cultivation. At the same time, the industry is facing a massive problem: labor is becoming scarcer. Since 2010, the availability of labor in the European greenhouse sector has fallen by around 30 percent.

This is precisely where eternal.ag comes in. The company develops robotic systems that automate physically demanding harvesting work and thus enable stable operations regardless of staff shortages.

"Harvester": Autonomous harvesting robot for tomatoes

With "Harvester", eternal.ag has launched its first commercial product on the market. The autonomous robot was specially developed for harvesting tomatoes in greenhouses and can work up to 22 hours a day. It is supported by an AI-based system that ensures both the quality of the harvest and the precision of the cutting.

The system has a modular design and can be expanded to include additional functions in the future. The aim is to roll out the technology to other crops.

AI, simulation and continuous learning

A central component of the technology is the use of virtual greenhouse environments. The robots are trained and tested there before they are used in practice. This allows development cycles to be significantly shortened and errors to be detected at an early stage.

During operation, the robots continuously supply data back to the system. This data is used to further improve the algorithms and efficiently scale the technology to different greenhouses.

Fully automated greenhouses by 2040

In the long term, eternal.ag is pursuing the goal of creating fully automated greenhouses that do not require any manual intervention. By 2040, fully robot-controlled operation should be possible.

The fresh funds will be used in particular for the further development of the technology, expansion in Europe and the development of additional crops. The company currently employs 26 people at locations in Europe and India, with headquarters in Cologne and a branch in Bengaluru.