Dr. Tamir Blum is the CEO and Founder of Kisui TECH, which seeks to bring AI and robotics technology and space robotics know-how into AGTECH in order to empower orchard farmers across Japan and the world. Tamir received his PhD from Tohoku University for his dissertation work at the Space Robotics Lab, where his focus was on the application of reinforcement learning and other AI techniques for various lunar robots including rovers and legged/climbing robots. Tamir is also a UCLA Master’s graduate where he focused on controls and robotics. He has conducted numerous exchange programs, including the International Space University, located in France, Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, and UC3M in Madrid, Spain. He also has obtained industry experience through work at SpaceX and Aerovironment, both located in California.

Cheng built up varied industry experience in the fields of mechanism design, product development, data analysis, machine learning and project management. He graduated from the National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan with a focus on material science involving the research of thermoelectric materials. He has conducted joint research with Hiroshima University in Japan relating to computational fluid dynamics(CFD) with finite element method (FEM) for the development of industrial equipment. Cheng has international experience through several programs, including at Deakin University, Australia via a scholarship program and the Bright Network in London via an internship program. At Kisui he works on the design and development of the robot as a product that fits the needs of the farmers, both solving their pain and remaining low cost and low maintenance.

Kazumasa Tochikane earned an MBA from ESADE Business School in Spain (including a short-term exchange study to Tel Aviv University, Israel) and a master’s degree in Biosciences (Animal Sciences) at Hokkaido University. He is passionate about the Food & Agriculture field and its business development using technology. With his experiences in international team management as well as in overseas sales of exporting agriproducts at ZEN-NOH mainly in Asian and Oceanian markets, his role at Kisui is to build sales and growth strategies and to conduct operating activities

Jefri Alfonso graduated from the University of Indonesia with Mechanical Engineering bachelor’s degree. During his college years, he was active in Eco-Car competitions at the international level and did thesis research on heat flux mapping at laboratory scale. Started his career in an automotive manufacturing company as a project engineer to prepare the production line of Hyundai car body manufacturing before moving to Japan. Then, he worked as a mechanical engineer in mechanical design and development, as well efficient manufacturing process planning in sheet metal and semiconductor fields in Japan. Comes from a country with vast agricultural land, he understands the importance of technology in order to improve farmer’s productivity. At Kisui, he works on the design and development of hardware and mechanical systems, also responsible for manufacturing and production of Kisui robot

Masaki is a Sendai and Tohoku native, with great passion for local area revitalization through technology. He has over 10 years of experience in sales and marketing, including time at a large Japanese accounting software firm. He has also worked in mobile games and ecommerce. At Kisui, he builds connections with important partners, including local governments, farming organizations, local communities, partners and of course farmers themselves.

Heikki received his Master’s in Robotics Engineering from Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan with his research focusing on value alignment in assistive robotics. He got his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from Tartu University in Tartu, Estonia. He has varied experience in the fields of automotive software development, IT education and telecommunications from KPIT Ltd, Tartu University and Telia Estonia, respectively. Heikki has lived in Japan for several years, in Hokkaido, Tohoku and Kanto. Being from a rural home, he feels a deep connection with the countryside and is passionate about empowering the people living and working there. At Kisui he works on robotics software such as mapping, obstacle avoidance and path planning.

Scott graduated from The University of Glasgow with a BSc in Computer Science. During his time at university, he focused his final year of research on virtual reality. He also gained experience within the defense industry by working with Leonardo, where he worked on laser defense systems and mathematical modeling.Coming from a small Scottish farming town, Scott found his passion for work in Agricultural Robotics, going straight into two years of industrial experience as an autonomous navigational expert.  During which he designed and implemented autonomous vehicles to assist farmers. At Kisui, he works on the software side of robotics, such as navigation, simulation and sensor fusion.

Kobayashi holds a Master of Arts degree from Tohoku University. Following his graduation, he has garnered extensive experience in sales, customer success, and new business development. He has worked at prominent companies in the distribution industry as well as an educational venture firm. At 01Booster, he played a crucial role in supporting startups, with a particular focus on fostering ventures in local cities. Currently, at kisuitech, Kobayashi spearheads business development and sales efforts aimed at providing assistance to farmers.

Alexander Astély is currently studying towards a master in Computer Science at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. Alexander has a passion of designing and developing user interfaces to help other. Before Kisui he was involved in several mobile app projects and volunteering as a scout leader. At Kisui he is leading the development of the user interfaces that the farmers use to interact with the robot. Through well developed interfaces he hopes to make a seamless experience for the farmers.

Ali stands out as an accomplished researcher and robotic engineer specializing in Autonomous Agricultural Vehicles. His extensive contributions include numerous academic papers, patents, collaborative projects, and jobs spanning various domains such as agricultural robotic systems, mechatronics, and intelligent systems in agricultural machinery, control systems, cultivation and processing systems, and artificial intelligence in agriculture. Ali earned his Ph.D. in 2018 from the distinguished Laboratory of Vehicle Robotics (Vebots) at Hokkaido University, Japan. Following his academic achievements, Ali served as an Assistant Professor in Biosystem Engineering from 2018 to 2024. During this tenure, he continued to make significant contributions to the field. Notably, Ali recently authored a comprehensive book titled “Autonomous Agricultural Vehicles: Concepts, Principles, Components, and Development Guidelines,” published by CRC Press Taylor and Francis Group.
Driven by a deep appreciation for Japanese culture and a commitment to advancing research in agricultural robotics, Ali made the strategic move to switch industry and join Kisui Tech in 2024. This decision reflects his dedication to operationalizing cutting-edge research within the realm of robotics in agriculture.
Motivated by a profound admiration for Japanese culture and a genuine commitment to advancing research in agricultural robotics, Ali strategically transitioned from academy to industry. This move underscores his dedication to actively contribute to pioneering research in the field of robotics in agriculture.

Evrard is a robotic engineer who graduated with an engineering diploma in France. He gained experience in various companies where he developed robotic solutions for radiological characterization in contaminated environments. His interest in agricultural robotics led him to do a Master of Science in Robotics at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland. There, he manage different types of robots, learning about autonomous navigation, mapping, path planning, and obstacle avoidance. His master’s dissertation focused on comparing the performance of wheeled and legged robots in grove characterization tasks. Before joining Kisui, Evrard gained valuable experience in defense and transport companies, developing software for tramways, subways, and train computer systems.

Milton has several years of experience working in the aerospace, cybersecurity and electronic manufacturing industries. He has a Masters of Technology geared towards development of intelligent and knowledge-based systems, while his degree in electrical engineering provides an understanding of the low level firmware and hardware stack. At Kisui, he is focused on developing the UI, web stack, data analytics stack, and platform infrastructure to deliver an ideal experience and functionality for users.

Tonklar Khaimuk is the bachelor student in Engineering in second year of IMAC-U of Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan. Tonklar has passion in robotics and space and he want to help others and societies with the knowledge he has. He has moved his interest to robot that will help farmers and its application on agriculture with focus of making use of Computer-vision or machine learning to help farmers to make agriculture process easier and more efficient. He has some experience in making innovations and research projects in High school. At Kisui, now he is pro-bono interns and will help the work of the members in the company.

Keita Nagaoka was born and raised in Yamagata prefecture, and moved to Sendai after graduating high school. (Tohoku native). Currently a third-year undergraduate (B3) at Tohoku University, majoring in Aerospace engineering. He usually spends days at the university making hybrid rockets and autonomous robots. he also values people-to-people relationships and will be passionate about development

Aditya received his Bachelor’s education in Mechanical Engineering in India. He then went on to work as a R&D engineer for SUV intake and exhaust systems at Mahindra Automotive for 3 years before moving to Japan to pursue his Master’s degree at Tohoku University. He is now continuing his research on hybrid solar cell technology as a PhD student. In his free time he has often volunteered to help local farmers during their harvest seasons, so he is painfully aware of the need to empower Japan’s dwindling farming community. Having experience with automotive engineering, computational engineering and material science, Aditya works as a pro-bono intern on mechanical systems at Kisui.

Kenta Sawa is a first-year master’s student at Tohoku University. He was born and raised in Hyogo prefecture, and he got his Bachelor of Engineering degree from the Department of Space Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology. He was involved in the structural design of Nanosatellites and simulation of orbit determination of spacecraft for deep space exploration at Kyushu Institute of Technology. After graduating from Kyushu Institute of Technology, he entered the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Tohoku University. He is currently doing research on robotics for space exploration. He was impressed with Kisui Tech’s vision of applying robotics research to help apple farmers in Aomori Prefecture, then he joined Kisui Tech as an intern student in August 2022. In Kisui Thech, He is working on developing software to implement image processing technology on agricultural rovers.

DC received his bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering and master degree in Information Science from Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan. He was a member of the Computer Vision lab at Tohoku University, his focus of study was about image processing, machine learning, deep learning and artificial neural networks. After graduation, he gained his industrial experiences working as a Machine Learning engineer role in software corporations. At Kisui, he is in charge of leading the efforts of improving data pipeline, machine learning performance to help advance AI technology improving robot performance on the field.

Machiko was born and raised in Aomori Japan. She has experience in localization, updating EC and website, and global marketing over 4 years. Her passion is to protect nature, revive Aomori, and promote sustainability and agriculture in the world. She is working as a part-time on fostering communication and organization in the business team at Kisui.

Kay joined Kisui TECH with an aspiration to contribute to the society through aiding farmers and supporting regional revitalization.　Kay researches occupational safety and has conducted an MBA special program at UC Berkeley, He has long felt the importance of using the experience he has gained through his studying abroad and knowledge gained from his research not just for getting good school grades, but for making the world a better place. He has conducted numerous exchange programs including  Renison college in Canada, KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in the US. After visiting a couple of different countries, he realized the beauty of nature and agriculture in Japan. That brought him to join our company, which has the vision to support agriculture in Japan