Revolutionizing Tea Field Covering Work! AutoCover to Conduct Demonstration Experiments in Tea Fields in Autumn 2026 After Material Deployment Tests in Toyohashi
AutoCover Inc. is developing a system to automate and save labor in the heavy tea field covering work essential for matcha and gyokuro cultivation using drones. After conducting material deployment tests in Toyohashi in March 2026, the company plans demonstration experiments in tea fields in Toyota City (Aichi), Mie Prefecture, and Kyoto Prefecture in autumn 2026, contributing to solving agricultural labor shortages and aging issues.
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- 📰 Published: April 1, 2026 at 17:30
- 🔍 Collected: April 1, 2026 at 09:04
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 22, 2026 at 07:50 (502h 45m after Collected)
For tea farmers, covering work will no longer be an excessive burden.
Furthermore, by establishing automation of covering work in the field, the difficulties of continuing work due to labor shortages and aging will be alleviated, leading to the maintenance of agricultural land in mountainous areas and the suppression of increasing abandoned land.
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AutoCover Inc. is working on automating and labor-saving the covering work essential for cultivating high-grade teas such as matcha and gyokuro. In March 2026, the company conducted material deployment tests with a 2m wide covering material at a test site in Toyohashi City, confirming basic operations. Moving forward, demonstration experiments are planned for autumn 2026 in tea fields in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, Mie Prefecture, and Kyoto Prefecture.
■ Challenges in Tea Field Covering Work
In the cultivation process of matcha and gyokuro, "covering work," which involves covering the entire tea field with shading material for a certain period before harvest, is a crucial process that affects quality. However, it requires handling heavy materials on slopes and unstable ground, and the work is concentrated in a short period, posing a significant burden in terms of both securing personnel and safety.
As the agricultural workforce ages, the mechanization and labor-saving of such heavy labor processes are direct challenges for the sustainable operation of the tea industry. AutoCover is developing a drone-based covering work support system as a means to both reduce on-site burden and improve work reproducibility.
■ AutoCover's Initiatives
AutoCover is developing a mechanism that combines 3D measurement data from drones with the concept of digital twins cultivated in manufacturing, to optimize flight plans according to tea field topography and support the deployment and retrieval of covering materials.
Currently, using logistics drones equipped with proprietary attachments, the company is verifying the covering material deployment process according to on-site conditions. Through future tea field demonstrations, the policy is to quantitatively confirm the effects of reducing working hours, safety, and operability.
■ Entry into STATION Ai and Presentation at Aichi Startup Battle 2025
In February 2026, AutoCover entered "STATION Ai" (Nagoya City), a startup support hub promoted by Aichi Prefecture. Utilizing an environment that facilitates collaboration with companies and research institutions in the manufacturing, agriculture, and ICT fields, the company is accelerating its efforts in both development and business collaboration. It also presented its concept and progress in automating tea field covering work with drones at the "Aichi Startup Battle 2025" held in the same month.