Key Takeaways
- JABAS.AI (Just a Better Autonomy Solution) has launched as a spinout from Ceres Agri-Tech and the University of Lincoln, offering an AI-enabled autonomous navigation platform for agricultural robot fleets that operates without reliable GPS, connectivity, or pre-mapped environments.
- The platform uses a combination of lidar, computer vision, and advanced localisation algorithms to enable safe, real-time navigation around dynamic obstacles such as humans, tractors, and other robots in unstructured farm settings including polytunnels and under-canopy environments.
- JABAS.AI targets a specific labour bottleneck in horticulture: 15–20% of time on soft fruit farms is spent moving trays of picked fruit, and the platform enables any agri-robot to navigate safely, locate workers, and collect harvested produce autonomously.
- The company has secured pre-seed investment, is incorporated in Lincolnshire, and is currently working with six commercial operators on autonomous navigation testing and trials.
- JABAS.AI is the fifth spinout from Ceres Agri-Tech, a partnership between the universities of Lincoln, Cambridge, and East Anglia funded by Research England and EPSRC, which has collectively created 34 high-value rural sector jobs and maintains a pipeline of over 55 agri-tech innovations.
JABAS.AI, a spinout from Ceres Agri-Tech and the University of Lincoln, has launched with a platform designed to enable reliable autonomous navigation for agricultural robot fleets in GPS-constrained and unstructured farm environments. The company has secured pre-seed investment and is working with six commercial operators on live trials, addressing one of the most persistent barriers to robotics adoption in agriculture: the inability of conventional GPS-based navigation to function reliably under canopy, in polytunnels, or near farm structures.
JABAS.AI Technology: Beyond GPS Navigation
Conventional GPS waypoint navigation fails in many real farm conditions, limiting the practical deployment of autonomous robots in horticulture and other agricultural settings. JABAS.AI replaces GPS dependency with a combination of lidar, computer vision, and advanced localisation algorithms, enabling on-the-go environment mapping and optimal route selection. The platform can be integrated into any existing robot platform as an “autonomy-as-a-service” layer, reducing the need for human intervention and pre-deployment setup while enabling safe, intelligent responses to dynamic obstacles including workers, tractors, and other robots operating in the same space.
“Our mission at JABAS.AI is to make advanced autonomy work reliably on farms, under real operating conditions which are inherently unpredictable. Ceres Agri-Tech has played a critical role in shaping that mission – from validating the technology with growers to helping us build a business model that scales,” said Prof Marc Hanheide, Founder and Chief Technology Officer at JABAS.AI and Professor of Intelligent Robotics and Interactive Systems at the University of Lincoln.
JABAS.AI: Addressing Labour Constraints in Horticulture
A core application of the JABAS.AI platform is robotic fruit logistics in soft fruit farming, where 15 to 20% of time is currently spent on the physical movement of harvested fruit trays between pickers and collection points. By enabling any agri-robot to navigate autonomously, locate workers, and collect harvested produce, the platform reduces physical strain on workers and supports more efficient picking operations. The company positions this capability as directly relevant to the acute labour shortages affecting horticulture productivity and food security.
“I am delighted that JABAS.AI is tackling the critical bottleneck to unlocking the use of robots on farm. With this new autonomy, robotic fruit logistics in unstructured farm environments is now possible, helping to alleviate the labour crisis and drive productivity at scale,” said Dr Louise Sutherland, Ceres Agri-Tech Director at Cambridge Enterprise.
Ceres Agri-Tech Spinout Portfolio and University of Lincoln
JABAS.AI is the fifth spinout from Ceres Agri-Tech, which has a pipeline of more than 55 agri-tech innovations and has collectively created 34 high-value jobs in the rural sector. Other spinouts in the portfolio include Agaricus Robotics (intelligent robotic mushroom harvesting), Fruitcast.AI (AI-enabled decision support and fruit forecasting), and Cellexcel (chemistry solutions to remove forever chemicals from industrial fibre applications). Ceres Agri-Tech supported JABAS.AI's development through a coordinated translation pathway covering grower engagement, robotic OEM introductions, on-farm trials, and company formation.
“JABAS.AI is a strong example of how world leading research at the University of Lincoln can be translated into technologies that deliver effective solutions for agriculture. Working with Ceres Agri-Tech has ensured that this innovation is not only technically excellent but has a clear pathway to commercial deployment and global relevance,” said Professor Simon Pearson, Founder and Director of the Lincoln Institute for Agri-Food Technology.
