miRobot

A prototype of the miRobot milking robot

miRobot is developing the next-generation automatic robotic milking system for cost-effective, high-performance milking in medium and large dairy farms (150 to >1,000 cows).

Designed as an add-on to conventional milking parlor equipment, miRobot’s system comprises fully automatic robotic arms installed in each milking stall. The robotic arms perform cleaning, stimulating, attaching the milking cluster, and post-milking routines to enable a milking procedure that is very high quality and uniform.

The miRobot multi-stall system will allow farmers to –

• Establish big data infrastructure in the milking parlor
• Milk dozens of cows simultaneously with only one supervisor, compared to current operations, which requires three to six operators.

IP

Three major patents, two granted, one pending

Fully functioning prototype installed in a working milking parlor, operating on live cows has demonstrated miRobot’s patent-pending system works under the most rigorous conditions and successfully performs pre- and post-milking routines.

Three additional pilots are currently being tested at additional industrial milking parlors.

In the Media

• The Daily Beast: The Robotic Dairy Farms Paving the Way for Big Milk
• NoCamels: Feeding The World: Could Israeli Agtech Start-ups End World Hunger?

According to market research reports, the global dairy products market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.2% from 2019 to reach $645.8 billion by 2025. In 2018, the global milk output was valued at 843 million tons. The milking robots market is expected to be valued at USD 2.48 billion by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 11.06% between 2017 and 2023.

• Robotics and big data represent an attractive investment sector.
  • Robotics in agriculture, specifically, is a popular investment area.
  • Venture capital investment in 2016 totaled nearly $2 billion.
  • In 2016, there were more than 50 M&A robotics deals totaling more than $19 billion (The Robot Report).

• MiRobot’s system represents an affordable add-on —
  • Reduces labor costs by >67%
  • Increases parlor throughput by >40%
  • Yields better quality milk

Current routines in conventional milking parlors rely extensively on manual operations: cleaning, stimulating milk release, attaching the milking equipment, and disinfecting the teats after milking. Trained operators perform these repetitive routines, which may result in an inconsistent quality of performance, sub-optimal throughput of the milking stalls, and drive up labor costs.

Key markets (United States, Western Europe, Australia) include more than 100,000 dairy farms with 150 cows or more. According to miRobot estimates, the market potential in these markets is nearly $4 billion.