Key PARTNERSHIPS<br />Team Autonomow<br />ENGR-245
– Week 8 Presentation<br />Organic Carrot Field, Avenal, CA<br />

The Business Plan Canvas Updated<br
/><ul><li>Technology Design

Marketing

Demo and customer feedback

Farming conventions.

Demo, demo, and demo!!

Proximity is paramount

Mid/Large Organic Farmers

Agricultural corporations

Weeding Service Providers

Mid/Large Conventional Farmers

Research Labs

Equipment Manufacturer

Distribution Network

Service Providers

2 or 3 Key Farms

Cost Reduction

Remove labor force pains

Eliminate bio-waste hazards

IP – Patents

Video Classifier Files

Robust Technology

Direct Service

Indirect Service

… then Dealers

Direct Service with equipment rental

Low density: $1,500/d

High density: $6,000/d</li></ul>Value-Driven<br /><ul><li> R&D

Bill of Materials

Training & Service

Sales</li></li></ul><li>CarrotBot<br />Machine Vision data collection
platform<br />Monochrome & Color Cameras<br />Laser-line sweep (depth measurement)<br />Encoders (position/velocity)<br />Onboard data acquisition & power<br />CarrotBot 1.0<br />

Carrotbot – key findings<br />Light
control is critical<br />Adjust for lens focal length<br />More robust drive train<br />Next steps: <br />Hyper-spectral imaging (IR)<br />Develop process for creating training sets<br />

Partnership evolution<br />

R&D Partner: UC davis<br />Over
10 years of weed recognition and elimination research<br />Hyper-spectral imaging<br />Precision spray of hot organic oil<br />No plans to start own company<br />Open to joint proposal<br />Dr. David Slaughter, UC Davis<br />Source: “Autonomous robotic weed control systems”, D.C. Slaughter, et. al. Computers & Electronics in Agriculture, 2008<br />

R&D Partner: LZH (GER)<br />Laser
Zentrum Hannover<br />German laser research lab<br />Currently studying using lasers for weed control<br />Findings:<br />Effective and efficient<br />Maximal dose of 5 J mm2<br />CO2 laser better absorbed than Diode laser<br />Christian Marx, PhD student<br />Source: “Laser Light Beams for Weed Control in Horticulture” C. Woltjen, et. al., LZH<br />

Early Adoption partner: bolthouse<br />2nd
largest organic carrot grower in CA<br />Technology-driven company<br />Key decision makers are excited by this project<br />

Bridge Partners: Service Industry <br
/>Service Providers:<br />Hines Pest and Weed Control (Watsonville, CA)<br />Jack R Weed Control Service (Rocklin, CA)<br />Western Farm Service Inc. (West Coast)<br />Integrated Crop Pest Management & Control (Salinas, CA)<br />Weed/Pest Management Consultants:<br />Organic Ag Advisors (North San Juan, CA)<br />The Organic Consulting Firm (Temecula, CA)<br />Crop Production Services, Inc. (California)<br />

Supply Chain Partners<br />Imaging Hardware<br
/>Lasers<br />nLight<br />Implement Chassis<br />Gonzales Machinery & Forge<br />Northern Valley Fab<br />

2011 World Ag Expo<br />Found
a few companies for potential partnership … maybe OEM arrangement<br />Solex Corp, Gonzales Machinery, Trimble<br />Checking out the competition – RoboCrop. Only technology of its type, very rudimentary.<br />

Q&A<br />Q&A:<br />

Income Statement <br />(backup)<br />Key
Assumptions:<br />Revenue:<br /><ul><li># Machines goes from

Billable Days per machine from

Average Price goes from $
per rental day (Tech I to Tech II)</li></ul>Costs – COGS:<br /><ul><li>Equipment expenses are $xx (Tech I) and $xx(Tech II). Useful life:xyrs

Long-term: one trainer/operator perxmach.

Fixed maint. cost are xx%
of equip. exp.

Variable maint. cost are $x/billable
day</li></ul>Costs – OPEX:<br /><ul><li>X CS/MS engineers in R&D

Sales force goes up fromx
to xreps

General Managers go up fromx
to xVPs

Staff goes up fromx to
x clerks

No debt in the firstx
years</li>