The Small Robot Company is a start up that focuses on revolutionizing the way that technology is used to create food. Ben Scott-Robinson, an experienced entrepreneur working at the cutting edge of user centred design and Sam Watson Jones, a fourth generation farmer, were inspired by the work of Simon Blackmore in the National Centre for PrecisionFarming at Harper Adams and his vision for replacing much of the work done by tractors in fields with a series of highly accurate, smart, lightweight robots. Sam's first step was to interview a large number of farmers around the country, firstly on the pain points around their current, tractor centred systems and secondly on what specific outcomes they would look for from a new model of farming. His discovery was that farmers felt poorly served by existing machinery manufacturers and new technology delivered as either hardware or software products.
The company's vision is to automate arable crop farming. The small robots Tom, Dick, and Harry will care for each plant in the crop on an individual basis. It will only feed and spray the plants that need it, with no waste. Per plant precision, not blanket chemical spraying. The Small Robot Company was founded on 2017 and is headquartered in Portsmouth, England.