Originals · Startup · Startups & Fintech
Altersage's Cocobot climbs coconut trees so farmers do not have to
The Kerala startup's 11 kg robot climbs a 20 m tree in under a minute. A fully automatic AI version is in development.
Kerala has a shortage of coconut climbers. The New Indian Express reported that of nearly 32,925 climbers trained by the Coconut Development Board over 12 years, only 673 are active. Altersage Innovations, founded by Ashin P Krishna and friends from Kozhikode, is building Cocobot, a robot that climbs the tree and cuts the nuts.
Onmanorama reported in February 2026 that the second-generation Cocobot weighs 11 kg, can be carried by one person, locks onto a trunk in about five seconds and climbs a 20 m tree in under a minute. A farmer watches through its camera on a remote console and uses a joystick to steer the cutting arms. It runs for two hours on a charge. A third-generation version that detects ripe coconuts with AI and harvests on its own is in its final stages, Onmanorama reported.
The company has had grants and incubation from Kerala Startup Mission's Maker Village, IIM Kozhikode, Kerala Agricultural University and NABARD, and won the state's Vaiga hackathon in 2023, Onmanorama and The New Indian Express reported. The New Indian Express reported interest from Marico, maker of Parachute oil. The startup plans to sell robots to large growers and to offer harvesting as a pay-per-tree service through local operators.
