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AgFunderNews · September 7, 2026

🎥 TRIC Robotics scales to 1,500 strawberry acres with 15-robot fleet

AgricultureRoboticsOperations
THE AI ANGLE
Enabling autonomous nighttime field navigation and automated boom height adjustments

Agtech startup TRIC Robotics has scaled its operations to treat over 1,500 acres of commercial California strawberries using a fleet of 15 autonomous, diesel-powered robots equipped with UV-C light and bug vacuums to replace chemical pesticides. By adopting a Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) business model that operates during non-disruptive night hours, the company eliminates upfront capital expenditures for farmers while matching traditional spraying costs. This progression highlights how tailoring large-scale autonomous hardware to rugged field conditions can overcome adoption barriers and build recurring operational revenue in specialty crop agriculture.

THE TEACHING ANGLE
Students can evaluate the trade-offs of deploying high-mass autonomous machinery via a nocturnal Robots-as-a-Service model to eliminate upfront grower capital costs and avoid daytime operational disruption.

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