JEPCO | University of Essex

Sowing innovation and growing solutions

Through the SCARLETT project, researchers from the University of Essex have joined with JEPCO to explore how robots can help grow and harvest lettuces on a large scale.

The redesigning of harvesting processes and embedding of robotics and artificial intelligence has delivered higher efficiency in food production which can be used for lettuces and then extended to other produce.

Dr Vishwanathan (Vishuu) Mohan Senior Lecturer, Lead Researcher, and Co-Founder of versatile robotx

Our Partnership with JEPCO

With integrated mobile robotics to enhance efficiency and precision, this partnership explores how robotics can transform large-scale lettuce farming, from planting to harvest.

This collaborative relationship with Jonathan Dove at JEPCO, Dr Vishuu Mohan and Roberto Medivil Castro from the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering (as part of the Versatile RobotX team) addresses issues around labour shortage in the industry, boosting food production to meet growing demand, and do so in a way that is resource-efficient and environmentally conscious, using its tech solutions through the hydroponic technique.

At Essex, there are numerous business opportunities supported by world-class research, with projects commercially focused, and driven to tackle challenges through business innovation.

SCARLETT Research Project

SCAlable, structured and Resource-efficient indoor robotic harvesting of LETTuce (SCARLETT) takes a deep dive into optimising every stage of the lettuce farming process for seamless robotic integration. Led by Roberto Mendívil Castro, the research project aims to boost production efficiency, support year-round (52-week) growing in the UK, and help farms scale despite ongoing labour shortages.

Versatile RobotX

Professor Klaus McDonald-Maier

Professor and Director of Impact

School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, University of Essex

Leading the Embedded and Intelligent Systems (EIS) Research Laboratory, Klaus also heads the Intelligent Embedded Systems and Environments Research Group and established Versatile RobotX alongside Vishuu Mohan winning the UKRI AI & Robotics national awards. The team aims to improve efficiency and address critical challenges like labour shortages and sustainability in the agri-tech industry.

Dr Vishwanathan Mohan

Senior Lecturer

School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, University of Essex

Vishuu's PhD in cognitive robotics at the Italian Institute of Technology focused on enhancing the cognitive abilities of the humanoid robot iCub, exploring the computational principles that underpin human-like cognition. Their contributions span multiple interdisciplinary, EU-funded projects, with roles ranging from PhD researcher to Principal Investigator.

Collaborators

Roberto Mendivil Castro

Research Officer

School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, University of Essex

Roberto manages the research project 'Scarlett: Towards Scalable, Structured and Resource Efficient Harvesting of Lettuce with Collaborative Biomimetic Robots' to review how every element of the farming production process can be optimised and adapted for the integration of robotics, exploring how this method potentially increase production efficiency, enabling farms to grow with dwindling labour and facilitate 52-week production in the UK.

Jonathan Dove

General and Operations Manager

Collaborative and Strategic Partnership, JEPCO

With innovation at the heart of JEPCO's values, from variety trials with seed houses, robotics trials with machinery manufacturers, to agronomic trials with industry bodies. The research project holds the potential to revolutionise the movement and handling of produce within JEPCO's greenhouse operations by integrating robotics into areas where repetitive tasks can benefit most, with the goal to optimise hydroponic techniques and embrace modern solutions for a more efficient and sustainable future.

About the School of CSEE

Ranked in the Top 25 in the UK for Computer Science in the 2025 Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject, Essex empowers graduates to launch successful careers, with recent alumni securing positions at leading companies such as National Instruments, McLaren, Google, and Microsoft.

The University of Essex is home to one of the largest robotics facilities in the country. Our Robotics Laboratory, backed by over £3M in investment and covering 100m², is equipped with more than 50 robotic systems, offering an extensive space to kickstart your journey in building and programming intelligent systems.

Study robotics at Essex

Technology at Work

Our Essex Robotics team demonstrates technical innovations and real-world applications in an accessible and compelling way, garnering interest from the public, academia, and industry alike to revolutionise the agriculture sector by applying their expertise in robotics and AI.

Our Essex robotics 'Versatile RobotX' team wins UKRI AI and Robotics national awards Read about our Robotics team partnership with JEPCO

Dr Mays Al-Naday working on a laptop that is connected to some servers on her right.

School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ

Telephone: +44 (0) 1206 874431

Email: csee-schooloffice@essex.ac.uk

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