Contain Inc.
Contain (Bonsai Robotics) builds hardened, software-defined autonomous systems that operate entirely on-device, with no cloud dependency, in weather, terrain, and signal loss that would disable conventional systems. The modular core stack transfers across crops, machines, and industries, with proven deployments in row-crop and orchard agriculture, and applications extending to mining, energy, and forestry. The company also develops precision perception and manipulation for tasks like apple harvesting and vine pruning, plus treatment modalities such as UV-C pest control and electric weeding.
- Robotics
- Agriculture Technology
- Autonomous Vehicles
- Hardware
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Founder details are not available yet.
Product
Problem
Conventional autonomous systems fail in unstructured outdoor environments where weather, rough terrain, and connectivity loss are common. Agricultural operations face acute labor shortages for physically demanding tasks like harvesting, pruning, and targeted spraying, yet existing automation is too fragile to handle the biological variability and harsh field conditions that define these jobs.
Solution
Bonsai Robotics provides hardened, software-defined hardware that performs perception and decision-making entirely on-device, with no cloud dependency. The systems are designed to treat disruption—weather, terrain, and biological variation—as normal operation rather than an exception. The modular core stack transfers across crops, machines, and industries without a rebuild, allowing the same technology to move from autonomous tractors and carriers in orchards and row crops to off-road haul in mining, remote site operations in energy, and terrain work in forestry. The company also develops perception and manipulation capabilities for precision interaction with individual objects, such as apple harvesting, vine pruning, and plant-level targeted spray, as well as treatment modalities like UV-C pest control and electric weeding that replace chemical applications.
Target Audience
Primary customers are agricultural operations—including row-crop and orchard growers—seeking to automate the hardest-to-fill labor roles, along with adjacent industries such as mining, energy, forestry, and utilities that face similar rugged outdoor automation challenges.
Features
- Fully on-device perception and decision-making with zero cloud dependency, enabling operation in signal-loss environments
- Ruggedized hardware engineered to withstand weather, terrain, and biological variation as default conditions
- Modular core stack transferable across crops, machines, and industries without a rebuild
- Precision perception and manipulation for irregular, deformable objects in outdoor light and clutter—enabling pick, cut, or dose actions without damage
- Treatment modality systems using light, heat, and electricity as modes of action for target-specific pest and weed control
- Field-proven autonomous tractors and carriers running full seasons in row-crop and orchard conditions