Crover

Summary

Crover’s mission is to leverage its world's first proprietary method for locomotion in bulk solids. The CROVER robotic grain monitoring device can fluently “swim” in stored grains, monitoring their conditions, reducing losses due to spoilage and avoiding a drop in quality of these valuable crops.

• The first ever TechCrunch Disrupt Battlefield company from Scotland
• Featured on The Times, Farmers Weekly, Milling & Grain (cover story)
• Awarded £614k in grant funding (including £212k from Innovate UK)
• Supported by EIT Food, ESA BIC UK, Chivas Ventures, Climate-KIC, WAYRA

Idea

Grains are the backbone of our global food system, yet only ⅓ of grain yields reach our tables.

Every year, globally, 20% (60% in developing areas) of harvested grains are wasted during storage: 631 million tonnes in 2018.

We at Crover want to bring this number as close to 0 as possible.

Crover’s proposal is based around the first remote probing device for the management of bulk-stored cereal grains and complementary technical services.

We're designing a robotic device able to move within stored grains and measure conditions through fitted sensors. It will provide hi-resolution readings across the storage unit and could help hinder pest growth, allowing for early detection of potential spoilage, so that proactive management can reduce losses and save money.

Our goal is to use our technological edge to significantly reduce post-harvest food waste

MARKET

• Grain yields and trade have been rising YoY and are projected to break subsequent records (882Mt by 2025/26). As per FAO, cereal production needs to rise by 42.8% by 2050 to keep the pace of population and demand growth
• This sector has a high level of technological change aimed at streamlining operations and improving efficiency with automation and the use of sensor technology

NEXT STEPS

• We are in discussions with a number of parties regarding new pilot programmes
• Beginning small series manufacturing for these pilot schemes.

Team

Dr Lorenzo Conti — Founder/MD

PhD in Engineering at The University of Edinburgh working on granular rheology where he discovered the “Crover Effect” (physical phenomenon).

Dr Jon Knight — Non-Exec Director

Former AHDB Head of Crop Health and Protection. 30+ years of experience in IPM projects.

Artem Lukianov — Mechatronic Engineer/Director

Expertise in Mechanical and Embedded Systems. He has an MSc in Robotics and a BEng in Mechanical Engineering from Heriot-Watt.

Dr Joel Keishing — Product Development Engineer

Engineering PhD at The University of Edinburgh. Worked at John Deere for 4+ years. Experience in moving equipment in dense granular environments.

Gianlorenzo De Santis, ACIM — Operations & Industry Liaison Executive

MSc in Food Marketing and experience in food chain innovation. Focuses on customer needs.

Corentin Chauvin-Hameau — Robotics Engineer

Skilled programmer, with hardware integration experience. He worked on Agri-robots projects such as an underwater device surveying algae farms and autonomous tractors.

Veghell Leo Acuna — Design for Manufacturing Engineer

14 years of electrical engineering experience, 9 at BARTEC where he was the Certification Lead for explosion-proof industrial systems.

James McGinley — Product Design Engineer

Experience in designing products used in hostile conditions. Named in 2018 among the ‘100 Disruptors’ in Scotland by the Sir Tom Hunter Foundation.