50993Fox Robotics Soft Fruit Logistics AMR SolutionClosedStudyInnovate UKFox Robotics is a start-up robotics company established in late 2017\. We have designed a family of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) engineered to promote innovation and enhance productivity within the logistics function of any company. Our robots are quick to set up and easy to use and web-enabled through the Cloud. This allows SMEs to use automation to enhance their competitive position, avoiding the upfront infrastructure investment required by other technologies on the market. Fox Robotics uses advanced machine learning/AI to provide easy-to-use, flexible and cost-effective robots, allowing small and medium enterprises to automate their material handling operations. This will increase operational efficiency and allows staff to avoid repetitive trips transporting goods in order to focus on higher skill activities. The innovative software technology driving the robots has been designed to be flexible and adaptable for a wide variety of industries that pick and move goods within their sites. In 2019 we completed a working prototype, the Hugo 250, capable of transporting up to 250kg, which was demonstrated to a number of prospects with on-site warehouses. One particular sector showing interest in our solutions was agriculture, where manual operations in harvesting, packaging and despatch can greatly benefit from this type of automation. This solution does not focus on replacing pickers, but rather on letting pickers keep picking without having to stop, interrupt the flow and and transport the produce. Our robot's capability to transport produce from the harvest and allow the picking process to proceed without interruption, is reckoned to yield a significant gain in productivity. Given the projected shortage of labour for this sector in the coming years, there is a great demand for any strategy to improve this type of working productivity during harvest. We have a significant demand pull for our solution, if we are able to adapt it to work outside in agricultural spaces effectively. This project will allow Fox to complete the technical redevelopment of its robot, and progress to customer tests in response to strong demand for from the agricultural sector. The Project will thus contribute to the economy and accelerate the process of innovation within the UK, particularly the under-served agribusiness.