XAG (company)

XAG Co., Ltd. (Chinese: 极飞科技) is a robotics and AI company, which focuses on using technology to empower agriculture and help create a food-secure future. XAG develops six smart agriculture product lines which include Agricultural Drone, Unmanned Ground Vehicle (Farm Robot), Remote Sensing Drone, Autopilot Console, Agriculture IoT System, and Smart Agriculture Management System, running through the entire process of agricultural production.

XAG Co., Ltd
Native name
XAG Co., Ltd.
FormerlyXaircraft
Industry
Founded2007
FounderBin Peng
Headquarters
Guangzhou, Guangdong
,
China
Websitexa.com

On 17 March 2021, XAG secured RMB 1.5 billion in a Series C round of funding, co-led by Hillhouse Capital Group, Baidu Ventures and SoftBank Vision Fund, followed by Chengwei Capital, Sinovation Ventures, Guangzhou Yuexiu Industrial Investment Fund Management, and Guangzhou Emerging Industry Development Fund.[1]

History

On April 1, 2007, a group of flight enthusiasts lead by Peng Bin who was the Microsoft MVP established XAG - formerly known as XAIRCRAFT.[2]

Between 2008 and 2010, XAG was dedicated to the development of multirotor with the launch of the industry-leading X650 series unmanned aerial system,[3] and in 2011, the first generation of SUPER X flight control system was developed, which has now evolved into SUPER X 4 Pro used by the latest XAG drones and robots.[4]

To explore the applications of drones, XAG had tested its capabilities between 2012 and 2013 in different industries including scientific expedition, inspection, search and rescue, logistics and others. In 2013, the company coopered with the Chinese multinational delivery services and logistics company SF Express to use drones for goods delivery. However, due to the legal restrictions of aerial management, XAG abandoned the focus on areal logistics.[5]

The same year in 2013, the company conducted a survey in West-North China where they saw farmers spray defoliants manually on cotton farms, by which the leaves can fall off and large machines can be sent to collect cotton without causing impurity. Although the chemical is beneficial for facilitating mechanical harvesting, it negatively affects human health when being exposed. In order to find a way to spray without affecting human health, the team tested using a drone to spray cotton by adhering a plastic bottle with defoliants inside to the drone. The exciting test results drove the team to make the decision -- dive deep into the agriculture sector.[6] After this trip, Justin Gong decided to join XAG as Co-founder.

In 2014, XAG official was renamed as “XAG”, which focused on developing professional drones for agricultural use.[7]

In 2015, the first-gen agricultural drone (used to call plant protection uas) was released.[8][9] At that time, the farmers in China were skeptical about the performance of agricultural drones used in spraying pesticides or other chemicals. To dispel misgivings and gain trust, the company founded the largest drone plant protection service team in China to offer drone spraying services to farmers instead of selling the machines directly.[10]

In 2016, the P Series agricultural drone was released.[11] The iRASS nozzle technology that can atomize the chemical liquid for precise crop protection,[12] was invented and applied to the drone, which started the journey of precision agriculture.

Major Projects

Harper Adams University

Starting from 2018, XAG and Harper Adams University formed a mutually beneficial collaboration to further the advance of agri-tech and encourage farmers in the region to embrace emerging UAV technology such as XAG's many aerial platforms.[13]

Bayer, XAG, and Alibaba Group Sustainable Agriculture Alliance

German pharmaceuticals and life science mega corporation Bayer along with XAG and e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holdings Lt’d Rural Taobao launched a joint project to support sustainable agriculture through advancing technology ultimately to increase food quality supplied to consumers all the while maintaining low prices.[14]

SuperX Cotton Farm
Two post-90s generation farmers manage a 200-hectare cotton field

In April 2021, XAG initiated a project in West China that post-90s generation farmers running a 3000 mu (200 hectares) cotton farm with the assistance of agricultural drones, farm robot, Artificial Intelligence and other unmanned solutions.[15][16]

Guardians Ant Forest
XAG IoT monitoring tree growth

In 2017, XAG joined the collaboration with Ant Financial Services Group to provide an IoT system to monitor the growth of Ant Forest.[17] Through this system, the administrators of forests can observe the seedlings of each in real-time. Also, it allows millions of users to see how their seedling is growing in the APP.[18]

SpringThunder - Disinfection

At the very beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak, XAG initiated an operation named “Thunder In Spring” with an RMB 5 millions special fund to encourage the XAG users to provide drone and robot disinfection across the country.[19]

Awards

Sustainability Innovation Award

XAG was the 2020 winner of Sustainability Innovation Award by Reuters for its effort in using technology to tackle rural aging.[20]

G-Mark

XAG V40 agricultural drone earned Japan "G-Mark" award for its design in helping farmers bridge the digital divide and grow more food with small footprints.[21]

Ram Charan Management Practice Award

Established by the Ram Charan and hosted by the Harvard Business Review China, the 2021 Ram Charan Management Practice Award awarded to XAG for its "Change Agriculture, Change the World: Building a Smart Agriculture Ecosystem" that stands out from nearly 300 participating cases.[22]

References
  1. "Baidu-backed Agriculture Drone Maker XAG Closes CNY 1.2 Bn Fundraising". EqualOcean. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
  2. "Change The Agriculture: XAG's Ambition in Digital Agriculture and Drones Industry". EqualOcean. Retrieved 2019-08-29.
  3. "China Based Company, XAG, Leads the Market for Drones in the Agricultural Industry". Drone Videos & Photos. 2021-12-31. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
  4. "XAG Reveals New Generation Drones and Robots for Agriculture | AgriTechTomorrow". www.agritechtomorrow.com. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
  5. "揭秘顺丰无人机背后的极客团队--IT--人民网". it.people.com.cn. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
  6. "Smart Ag: Solving China's Sustainability, Boosting Global Growth". Disruptive Asia. 2020-05-15. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
  7. "Agricultural Drone Maker XAG Closes $183 Million Funding Round - Caixin Global". www.caixinglobal.com. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
  8. "XAG-Products" (PDF).
  9. "The Future of Drones Market Lies in The Industrial Applications, XAG Tries to Grab It". EqualOcean. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
  10. "XAG Brings High-tech Farming at 2021 Bloomberg New Economy Catalyst". www.xa.com. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  11. "XAG, China's Largest Agricultural Drone Company, Using Drones to Spray Pesticides & Plant Seeds". Drone Videos & Photos. 2020-07-11. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  12. "P Series Plant Protection UAS - XAG". www.xa.com. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  13. "XAG and Harper Adams University partnership". Harper Adams University. Retrieved 2019-07-05.
  14. 张洁. "Bayer partners with Chinese firms to develop sustainable farming - Chinadaily.com.cn". global.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2019-07-05.
  15. "XAG Shared its Agri-tech Blueprint on Bloomberg New Economy Catalysts Media Roundtable". www.xa.com. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  16. "Two "post-90s" in Xinjiang challenge to manage 3000 acres of cotton fields, with a yield of more thahugewealth_finance-". www.hugewealthfinance.com. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  17. "The Forest Guardian: Using Smart Agtech to Combat Desertification". www.xa.com. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  18. "Happy Arbor Day And Try to Use XAG's Electronic Scarecrow!". EqualOcean. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  19. "Xag creates fund for drones disinfection program to fight coronavirus". GPS World. 2020-02-11. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  20. "Chipotle, DBS, Thai Union, Verizon, Olam International, ReNew Power and Maersk among winners at the 2020 Responsible Business Awards | Reuters Events | Sustainable Business". www.reutersevents.com. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
  21. "Agricultural Drone [XAG Agricultural Drone]". Good Design Award. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
  22. "XAG Honoured with the 2021 Ram Charan Management Practice Award". www.xa.com. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
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