Seed Innovations has subscribed £300,000 for a 3.66% equity interest in Fieldwork Robotics, a UK agricultural technology company developing AI-enabled autonomous harvesting systems for soft-fruit growers.
Fieldwork's platform centres on a robot with four independent arms, each fitted with a patented inflatable membrane designed to pick berries without causing damage, supported by AI-driven 3D vision and ripeness detection, with a single operator able to supervise an entire fleet.
The company, spun out of the University of Plymouth in 2016 and founded by robotics researcher Dr Martin Stoelen, has subsidiaries in Portugal, Australia and California and has built commercial and development relationships with growers across all four markets.
Beyond direct robot sales, Fieldwork is developing recurring revenue streams including data services, maintenance contracts and a harvesting-as-a-service model under which growers pay for access to the technology on an ongoing basis rather than purchasing outright.
For the year ended 31 October 2025, Fieldwork reported net assets of £5.5 million, with modest turnover and a pre-tax loss in line with its development stage.
The investment will be funded from Seed Innovations' existing cash resources and constitutes a significant transaction under AIM Rule 12.
"Fieldwork's berry picking robot offers an innovative and scalable solution," said Non-Executive Chair Jim Mellon, noting that up to 30% of soft fruit is lost annually due to a shortage of pickers.
