Full-Time
Automated rock-picking robots for farming
$75k - $90k/yr
Worthington, MN, USA
In Person
Bachelor's
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TerraClear creates automated rock-picking systems for farms. Its rock-picking robot uses sensors and robotics to locate and remove rocks from fields, helping farmers reduce manual labor and boost productivity. The product combines aerial sensing, machine vision, high-accuracy GPS, and autonomous robotics to identify rocks, navigate fields, and physically pick them up. Unlike traditional manual rock removal or single-purpose tools, TerraClear offers an integrated, end-to-end solution with ongoing maintenance and software updates, often via a subscription, to keep the system accurate and reliable. The company differentiates itself through its focus on automating a specific farming bottleneck (rock removal) with a turnkey system designed for farmers and agricultural businesses, aiming to lower labor costs and increase crop yields. The goal is to make farming more efficient by removing rocks automatically so farmers can focus on other tasks and decision-making.
Company Size
11-50
Company Stage
Series A
Total Funding
$50.2M
Headquarters
Bellevue, Washington
Founded
2017
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Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
401(k) Plan
Generous paid time off and holidays
TerraClear has launched a Giant Ragweed Mapping Service using drone imagery and AI to help organic farmers combat weed infestations. A single giant ragweed plant can produce up to 10,000 seeds, creating a persistent seed bank that threatens future yields. The service provides exact GPS locations of ragweed escapes, eliminating the need for blanket scouting that typically costs $20 to $50 per acre. Timed for late July to early August, before plants drop seeds, the system allows farmers to direct labour precisely to problem areas rather than walking entire fields. TerraClear is accepting bookings for the 2026 summer mapping window. The company combines AI, drone imagery and robotics to address labour-intensive agricultural challenges, including rock management and precision weed control.
Five Star Cooperative, an Iowa-based agricultural cooperative, has partnered with TerraClear to deploy AI-powered field intelligence across 110,000 acres. The rollout begins with 10,000 acres of rock mapping in 2026, expanding to 100,000 acres of weed mapping using TerraClear's autonomous TerraScout system in spring 2027. TerraClear's technology enables farmers to find up to three times more rocks and remove them three times faster, reducing rock-picking costs by an estimated $20 per acre. TerraScout provides plant-level field insights, identifying weeds by species and density whilst delivering real-time maps and recommendations. The system processes data on-site, delivering results before leaving the field. TerraClear will supplement TerraScout with drone-based data collection to ensure consistent coverage during peak seasons.
TerraClear has appointed Eric Rombokas as Director of Robotics and Hardware to lead the development of autonomous systems for large-acre row crops. Rombokas brings over 15 years of experience in developing autonomous systems for complex environments. An Affiliate Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Washington, Rombokas specialises in perception, control and machine learning. At TerraClear, he will focus on advancing field autonomy for the TerraScout platform and scaling sensing systems for real-time farm operations. The appointment comes as the Issaquah-based company expands its autonomous capabilities in agriculture, aiming to provide growers with dependable tools for transforming field data into actionable insights.
TerraClear has launched TerraScout, a fully autonomous robot that collects ultra-high-resolution imagery across entire fields and converts it into prescriptions for existing farm equipment. The robot can map over 1,000 acres daily at speeds up to 15 mph with a 60-foot mapping swath. Founded in 2017, TerraClear has mapped nearly one million acres and served over 1,000 farm operations. TerraScout captures images at 1mm resolution, collecting over four billion samples per acre, and processes data in real-time using onboard computing. Operating autonomously for up to six hours, it can work day or night with artificial lighting. The technology currently focuses on rock and weed management, delivering five to 10 times return on investment. Field trials began earlier this year, with limited commercial release planned for autumn 2026.
From rocks to row crops, TerraClear broadens its capabilities with launch of fully autonomous robot. Jennifer Marston | Published on: Feb 19, 2026 TerraClear aims to make precision farming "technically and economically feasible" for growers with the launch of its TerraScout robot.