In the lush landscapes of Kerala, where coconut trees dominate the skyline and farming traditions run deep, a quiet revolution is taking place—one driven not by seasoned agriculturalists, but by a 23-year-old mechanical engineer with a vision to change how we harvest coconuts.
Meet Ashin P. Krishna, a bright innovator from Kozhikode who has developed Coco-bot, an AI-enabled coconut harvesting robot that could soon become a game-changer for Indian agriculture.
Ashin, who holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering, saw a growing problem—coconut farmers were struggling due to the increasing shortage of skilled climbers, a labor-intensive job that fewer people are willing to take up. Recognizing this gap, he decided to use technology to solve a traditional challenge.
With the support of his startup, Altersage Innovations, Ashin and his team built Coco-bot—a lightweight, semi-automated robot that can climb tall coconut trees, detect ripe coconuts using artificial intelligence, and harvest them safely with minimal human effort. It only needs a single operator and dramatically reduces both time and risk involved in manual harvesting.
The bot is already drawing attention. Supported by NABARD, Kerala Startup Mission, and IIM Kozhikode, Coco-bot has gained praise for its potential to modernize agriculture, and even industry giants like Marico Ltd. have shown interest in commercial deployment.
Ashin’s innovation doesn’t just benefit farmers—it symbolizes a new wave of youth-led agritech that blends deep cultural roots with futuristic solutions. With more than 25,000 coconuts harvested during pilot testing, Coco-bot has proven that tech can make a real-world impact in India’s rural economy.
But Ashin’s journey is far from over. He envisions adapting Coco-bot for other climbing crops like arecanut and toddy, and eventually exporting it to tropical countries facing similar labor challenges. His story is a shining example of how engineering, entrepreneurship, and empathy can come together to transform the future of farming.
From the coconut groves of Kerala to global recognition, Ashin P. Krishna is not just building robots—he’s building hope for thousands of farmers, and redefining what’s possible in Indian agriculture.