Muju Earth Technologies has developed the Aeropod, a device designed to automate soil aeration without the use of robotics or heavy machinery. The product is roughly the size of a fingernail and is planted alongside seeds using standard agricultural equipment. Once exposed to specific conditions of moisture, temperature, and pressure, the device expands to loosen the soil.
The startup claims the Aeropod can reduce tilling costs to £100 per hectare, compared to the traditional range of £250 to £400 per hectare. By improving soil aeration, the technology aims to mitigate the impact of soil compaction, which can reduce agricultural yields by 20% to 60%.
Muju Earth is currently conducting paid field trials in the UK with nine participating farmers and maintains a waitlist of over 30 additional applicants. The company is initially focusing on onion growers due to the crop's high sensitivity to soil density. The startup is also exploring partnerships with companies that produce biologic soil amendments.
Founded by Ifeoluwa Afolayan and Wangyang Hu at Imperial College London, Muju Earth is one of the 200 startups selected for the Startup Battlefield at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco this October. The company plans to showcase its technology during the event, where 20 finalists will compete on the main stage.
