Company Awarded To: MJNN LLC (Plenty)

Patent: Robotic harvesting system for vertical plant cultivation

For the month of June 2026, the agriculture, farming, and fishing industry has seen incredible advancements, but the standout innovation is the “Robotic harvesting system for vertical plant cultivation” by MJNN LLC, the intellectual property arm of indoor vertical farming pioneer Plenty. This invention was selected as Patent of the Month because it solves a critical bottleneck in controlled environment agriculture: the efficient and gentle harvesting of densely packed vertical crops. Traditional automated harvesting methods are often too harsh for delicate leafy greens or require significant human intervention, which disrupts the sterile environment of indoor farms. Plenty’s robotic system utilizes precision computer vision, advanced end effectors, and highly calibrated robotic arms to identify, grasp, and harvest crops directly from vertical towers without damaging the plant or the growing structure. This seamless integration of robotics and agronomy drastically increases throughput, lowers labor costs, and improves food safety, marking a transformative leap forward for scalable vertical farming.

The practical applications of this robotic harvesting system present excellent opportunities for companies to claim the Research and Development (R&D) Tax Credit in the United States. Developing and integrating such advanced robotics into commercial farming operations requires extensive experimentation to overcome technical uncertainties. For example, engineering teams must iteratively test and refine computer vision algorithms to ensure accurate plant identification under varying lighting conditions, or design custom end effectors that can handle delicate produce without causing bruising. Software developers might also design proprietary control systems that synchronize the robotic harvesters with automated grow tower conveyances. The time and resources spent designing, prototyping, testing, and optimizing these automated systems qualify as qualified research activities under Section 41 of the Internal Revenue Code. Agriculture and AgTech companies investing in the development or significant improvement of automated cultivation systems can leverage these R&D tax credits to offset development costs and further fuel their technological growth.