The growing team behind Robotics Plus is comprised of a diverse group of educated, experienced and motivated people.
Dr Alistair Scarfe (PhD, BE Hons)
CTO, Director, Owner
Dr Alistair Scarfe (PhD, BE) earned a PhD in Industrial Automation after completing a Bachelor of Engineering, majoring in Mechatronics with First Class Honours, both from Massey University. Alistair has eight years’ experience developing horticultural robotics and his work was validated during the PhD assessment process. The prototype autonomous kiwifruit harvester was the subject matter of his thesis. As RPL’s Chief Technical Officer and company director, Alistair is responsible for overseeing the execution of all RPL’s projects. He was a finalist for NZ Hi-Tech Young Achiever of the Year 2012 and won the Tauranga 2011 Rocket Young Innovator of the Year (under 40). Alistair is the first scholar to receive the Dick and Mary Earle Scholarship in Technology for three consecutive years and was awarded a ZESPRI Innovation Fellowship.
Steven Saunders
Owner and Board Chairman of RPL and the Plus Group
Owner and Board Chairman of RPL and the Plus Group of Companies (www.plusgroup.co.nz). Steve has over 28 years of experience and expertise in the New Zealand horticulture industry across the following disciplines: growing, management, financial management, innovation, new product to market, postharvest ownership, international experience in the export of horticultural products (including pollen and pollen application systems), project management and JV partnerships. As an active angel investor, has been appointed director of numerous other emerging start-ups and holds key board positions with Priority One, Enterprise Angels, Icehouse and recent Crown appointment to Landcare Research. Steve is also a shareholder and director for Newnham Park Innovation Centre, the home of many award-winning innovation-focused companies.
Dr Bram Smith (PhD, BE Hons)
COO
Bram is a business leader and engineer with 17 years experience working in high-tech innovation and start-ups. His career has centred on leveraging cutting edge science to create commercial opportunities and drive business innovation. As COO, he is responsible for business operations and developing the commercial strategy for taking Robotics Plus technologies and expertise to market. Prior to working at Robotics Plus, Bram was the founding General Manager of the Kiwi Innovation Network (KiwiNet), which invested over $13m into high-tech commercial ventures out of universities and public research organisations. He has a history of involvement in start-up ventures including starting his own company developing engine tuning software, and helping to start a biomedical equipment start-up company from Aalborg University in Denmark. Bram holds a Bachelor of Engineering and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering, both from the University of Canterbury.
Dr Mark H. Jones (PhD, ME, BSc.) Research & Development Officer
Mark joined the team in 2015 as a robotics development engineer. His previous research involved computer modelling of medical implant electrodes, high frequency RF power meters and electro-fishing boats. Since then, he has been heavily involved with the development of the AMMP - an agricultural robotics platform. His experience in programming, system architecture and electronic & mechanical design play a key role in this project. Mark has developed interests in machine vision and neural networking that keep him up-to-date with the latest sensing and processing technologies. He enjoys the start-up culture of Robotics Plus and the intensive development processes required to create high-performance industrial robotic systems.
Kyle Peterson (BE Hons)
Research & Development Engineer
Kyle Peterson (BE) has a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours, majoring in Mechatronics. He was one of the primary developers of the first generation apple packing robots and has been an integral team member since concept design. Kyle brings a significant amount of experience from operating the original prototype apple packing robots in the packhouse. He provides an in-depth understanding of the customer’s operational requirements and related systems. Kyle provides complementary skill sets with his main areas focusing on custom embedded electronic controllers and machine vision systems.
Florian Roeske (M.Sc., Dipl.-Ing (FH))
Research & Development Engineer
Florian earned a Master's with distinction in Information Technology from the Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics at the German Aerospace Center and has a Graduate Engineering Degree (Dipl.-Ing (FH)) in Computer Engineering. Florian brings 3 years software development expertise in enterprise networks and also has systems engineering experience with real-time applications for surgical robotics and computer vision applications.
Luke Dwyer (BE Hons)
Research & Development Engineer
Luke joined the team as a new graduate after completing a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours majoring in Mechatronics from Massey University. Luke has experience developing industrial electronic control systems and brings a well-rounded knowledge base and skill sets to the team. He is an integral member across all areas of development, ranging from design to fabrication across mechanical, electronics and control.
Matthew Sutherland (BE Hons) Research & Development Engineer
Matthew majored in Mechatronics at Massey University before joining the Robotics Plus team. He initially joined for work experience and stayed on as a full employee once he completed his degree. He has a keen interest in robotics and brings technical skills to aid in the design and manufacture of machines. He works in the robotic apple packer R&D team and is currently responsible for assembly and maintenance of the packers.
Daniel Tutt (BE Mechanical)
Research and Development Engineer
Daniel joined the Robotics Plus team in June 2017. He has experience working on a wide range of projects in both New Zealand and the UK, ranging from the design of delicate production equipment for the medical device industry to the design of heavy duty rock crushing machines. He has a strong interest in automation and the design of special purpose machinery. Outside of work he enjoys spending time with his young family and is currently learning to surf.
John Howarth (BE Mechatronics)
Research and Development Engineer
John has a strong background in manufacturing design and management and brings commercialisation experience to the Robotics Plus team. John grew up on a sheep and beef farm, giving him a good grounding in the agriculture sector and developed a passion for engineering in his father’s workshop. With a masters in Computer Vision John also has a number of engineering projects taking place outside of work hours.
Dr Peyman Sabouri (PhD, MSc, BSc)
Research and Development Engineer
Peyman joined Robotics Plus in early 2017 as a R&D Engineer. His previous research involved skin cancer detection (melanoma) using image processing, computer vision and machine learning technologies. He also has a history of involvement in the project commercialisation of his PhD project.
David de Graaf (BE Mechatronics)
Project Manager
Dave completed a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechatronics at the University of Auckland. Since then he has had a wide range of work experience from managing aircraft maintenance and technical teams through to designing control systems for hydro power stations. Dave is keen on working with innovative teams that are utilising the latest technologies to produce pioneering equipment to improve our quality of life. At home he loves spending time with his family, particularly at the beach, and surfing in sunny Mt Maunganui.
Erin Sims (BE Hons) Masters Student
Erin has a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours majoring in Mechanical Engineering. For her fourth-year project, Erin worked on a robotic apple harvester prototype with Robotics Plus. She is currently working towards her Masters in Mechanical Engineering specialising in robotic mechanical design and fabrication.
Hamish Carter (BE Hons)
Masters Student
Hamish began at Robotics Plus as a summer intern after completing the 3rd year of his Bachelor of Engineering majoring in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Waikato. He has since finished in 2016 and is now studying towards a Masters in Engineering. Hamish has previously worked in landscaping and heavy transport industries giving him a well-rounded skill set which he is building on at Robotics Plus.
Henri Bardoul (BE Hons)
Masters Student
Henri began working for Robotics Plus in 2017 after completing a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours majoring in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Waikato. He is currently studying towards his Masters while gaining experience with mechanical design and fabrication on projects within the company. Outside of work he enjoys road cycling, mountain biking, hunting and water skiing.
Josh Barnett (BE Hons) PhD Candidate
Josh is a mechanical engineer and PhD candidate based at Robotics Plus to develop hardware on the MBIE orchard robotics project. Josh has a BE (Hons) from the University of Waikato. He has industry experience in production engineering and manufacturing, machine design, and practical skills from working as an engineer prior to tertiary education. Josh has suspect welding skills but is a brilliant fisherman.
Matthew Seabright (BE Hons) PhD Candidate
Matthew is a PhD student from the University of Waikato and based at Robotics Plus. He specialises in electronics and control systems development. He is currently responsible for designing and building the electronics that integrate the robotic arms and machine vision cameras for the harvesting platform.
The growing team behind Robotics Plus is comprised of a diverse group of educated, experienced and motivated people.
Dr Alistair Scarfe (PhD, BE Hons)
CTO, Director, Owner
Dr Alistair Scarfe (PhD, BE) earned a PhD in Industrial Automation after completing a Bachelor of Engineering, majoring in Mechatronics with First Class Honours, both from Massey University. Alistair has eight years’ experience developing horticultural robotics and his work was validated during the PhD assessment process. The prototype autonomous kiwifruit harvester was the subject matter of his thesis. As RPL’s Chief Technical Officer and company director, Alistair is responsible for overseeing the execution of all RPL’s projects. He was a finalist for NZ Hi-Tech Young Achiever of the Year 2012 and won the Tauranga 2011 Rocket Young Innovator of the Year (under 40). Alistair is the first scholar to receive the Dick and Mary Earle Scholarship in Technology for three consecutive years and was awarded a ZESPRI Innovation Fellowship.
Steven Saunders
Owner and Board Chairman of RPL and the Plus Group
Owner and Board Chairman of RPL and the Plus Group of Companies (www.plusgroup.co.nz). Steve has over 28 years of experience and expertise in the New Zealand horticulture industry across the following disciplines: growing, management, financial management, innovation, new product to market, postharvest ownership, international experience in the export of horticultural products (including pollen and pollen application systems), project management and JV partnerships. As an active angel investor, has been appointed director of numerous other emerging start-ups and holds key board positions with Priority One, Enterprise Angels, Icehouse and recent Crown appointment to Landcare Research. Steve is also a shareholder and director for Newnham Park Innovation Centre, the home of many award-winning innovation-focused companies.
Dr Bram Smith (PhD, BE Hons)
COO
Bram is a business leader and engineer with 17 years experience working in high-tech innovation and start-ups. His career has centred on leveraging cutting edge science to create commercial opportunities and drive business innovation. As COO, he is responsible for business operations and developing the commercial strategy for taking Robotics Plus technologies and expertise to market. Prior to working at Robotics Plus, Bram was the founding General Manager of the Kiwi Innovation Network (KiwiNet), which invested over $13m into high-tech commercial ventures out of universities and public research organisations. He has a history of involvement in start-up ventures including starting his own company developing engine tuning software, and helping to start a biomedical equipment start-up company from Aalborg University in Denmark. Bram holds a Bachelor of Engineering and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering, both from the University of Canterbury.
Dr Mark H. Jones (PhD, ME, BSc.) Research & Development Officer
Mark joined the team in 2015 as a robotics development engineer. His previous research involved computer modelling of medical implant electrodes, high frequency RF power meters and electro-fishing boats. Since then, he has been heavily involved with the development of the AMMP - an agricultural robotics platform. His experience in programming, system architecture and electronic & mechanical design play a key role in this project. Mark has developed interests in machine vision and neural networking that keep him up-to-date with the latest sensing and processing technologies. He enjoys the start-up culture of Robotics Plus and the intensive development processes required to create high-performance industrial robotic systems.
Kyle Peterson (BE Hons)
Research & Development Engineer
Kyle Peterson (BE) has a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours, majoring in Mechatronics. He was one of the primary developers of the first generation apple packing robots and has been an integral team member since concept design. Kyle brings a significant amount of experience from operating the original prototype apple packing robots in the packhouse. He provides an in-depth understanding of the customer’s operational requirements and related systems. Kyle provides complementary skill sets with his main areas focusing on custom embedded electronic controllers and machine vision systems.
Florian Roeske (M.Sc., Dipl.-Ing (FH))
Research & Development Engineer
Florian earned a Master's with distinction in Information Technology from the Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics at the German Aerospace Center and has a Graduate Engineering Degree (Dipl.-Ing (FH)) in Computer Engineering. Florian brings 3 years software development expertise in enterprise networks and also has systems engineering experience with real-time applications for surgical robotics and computer vision applications.
Luke Dwyer (BE Hons)
Research & Development Engineer
Luke joined the team as a new graduate after completing a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours majoring in Mechatronics from Massey University. Luke has experience developing industrial electronic control systems and brings a well-rounded knowledge base and skill sets to the team. He is an integral member across all areas of development, ranging from design to fabrication across mechanical, electronics and control.
Matthew Sutherland (BE Hons) Research & Development Engineer
Matthew majored in Mechatronics at Massey University before joining the Robotics Plus team. He initially joined for work experience and stayed on as a full employee once he completed his degree. He has a keen interest in robotics and brings technical skills to aid in the design and manufacture of machines. He works in the robotic apple packer R&D team and is currently responsible for assembly and maintenance of the packers.
Daniel Tutt (BE Mechanical)
Research and Development Engineer
Daniel joined the Robotics Plus team in June 2017. He has experience working on a wide range of projects in both New Zealand and the UK, ranging from the design of delicate production equipment for the medical device industry to the design of heavy duty rock crushing machines. He has a strong interest in automation and the design of special purpose machinery. Outside of work he enjoys spending time with his young family and is currently learning to surf.
John Howarth (BE Mechatronics)
Research and Development Engineer
John has a strong background in manufacturing design and management and brings commercialisation experience to the Robotics Plus team. John grew up on a sheep and beef farm, giving him a good grounding in the agriculture sector and developed a passion for engineering in his father’s workshop. With a masters in Computer Vision John also has a number of engineering projects taking place outside of work hours.
Dr Peyman Sabouri (PhD, MSc, BSc)
Research and Development Engineer
Peyman joined Robotics Plus in early 2017 as a R&D Engineer. His previous research involved skin cancer detection (melanoma) using image processing, computer vision and machine learning technologies. He also has a history of involvement in the project commercialisation of his PhD project.
David de Graaf (BE Mechatronics)
Project Manager
Dave completed a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechatronics at the University of Auckland. Since then he has had a wide range of work experience from managing aircraft maintenance and technical teams through to designing control systems for hydro power stations. Dave is keen on working with innovative teams that are utilising the latest technologies to produce pioneering equipment to improve our quality of life. At home he loves spending time with his family, particularly at the beach, and surfing in sunny Mt Maunganui.
Erin Sims (BE Hons) Masters Student
Erin has a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours majoring in Mechanical Engineering. For her fourth-year project, Erin worked on a robotic apple harvester prototype with Robotics Plus. She is currently working towards her Masters in Mechanical Engineering specialising in robotic mechanical design and fabrication.
Hamish Carter (BE Hons)
Masters Student
Hamish began at Robotics Plus as a summer intern after completing the 3rd year of his Bachelor of Engineering majoring in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Waikato. He has since finished in 2016 and is now studying towards a Masters in Engineering. Hamish has previously worked in landscaping and heavy transport industries giving him a well-rounded skill set which he is building on at Robotics Plus.
Henri Bardoul (BE Hons)
Masters Student
Henri began working for Robotics Plus in 2017 after completing a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours majoring in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Waikato. He is currently studying towards his Masters while gaining experience with mechanical design and fabrication on projects within the company. Outside of work he enjoys road cycling, mountain biking, hunting and water skiing.
Josh Barnett (BE Hons) PhD Candidate
Josh is a mechanical engineer and PhD candidate based at Robotics Plus to develop hardware on the MBIE orchard robotics project. Josh has a BE (Hons) from the University of Waikato. He has industry experience in production engineering and manufacturing, machine design, and practical skills from working as an engineer prior to tertiary education. Josh has suspect welding skills but is a brilliant fisherman.
Matthew Seabright (BE Hons) PhD Candidate
Matthew is a PhD student from the University of Waikato and based at Robotics Plus. He specialises in electronics and control systems development. He is currently responsible for designing and building the electronics that integrate the robotic arms and machine vision cameras for the harvesting platform.
