Iowa startups explore better ag tech and bioplastics
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A Poultry Patrol robot. Photo: Courtesy of Poultry Patrol
It's the first-ever Iowa Startup Week, and entrepreneurs from across the country are here for several days of pitches and networking.
Driving the news: We chatted with two Iowa startups, one in turkey barns and the other in plastics manufacturing, to learn more about their innovations.
Poultry Patrol, a Decorah-based company, is creating robots that turkeys chase after, helping them improve their health and gain weight by moving around and engaging in food and water more.
Why it matters: Even small weight gain can add up for producers raising thousands of turkeys at a time.
How it started: Jack Kilian of Decorah worked on a robot designed to chase geese off of lawns while working for a tech incubator in Minnesota.
- The technology worked, but he realized there wasn't enough demand to make it a business.
- After connecting with a turkey farmer, he put a robot inside the barn and realized the turkeys were following it.
- He learned that by encouraging movement, it resulted in better health outcomes rather than the turkeys staying sedentary.
How it works: A person working remotely controls the robot and makes several trips through the barn a day.
- Curious turkeys follow it, prompting the whole flock to go as well.
The result: The turkeys weigh about 2.5 pounds more and are showing higher survival rates.
Meanwhile, Saber Chemical, an Ames-based company, is making plant-based plastics less brittle.
Zoom in: While working on his doctorate at Iowa State, co-founder Baker Kuehl found a way to improve the durability of bioplastics through a blending method.
- Polylactic acid, a plant-based acid commonly used in 3D printing, food packaging and medical devices, is commonly made from corn. But it's had issues with fragility.
- Kuehl's blended plastic is stronger, even withstanding Iowa State football players trying to break it.
- "They're traditionally super brittle, and basically only after 40 years, all we got to show for it is paper straws," he says.
Zoom out: Saber has successfully tested the more durable material in golf tees and 3D-printing applications and has sold film stock to a medical company for testing.
What's next: The public can watch startup finalists compete for $25,000 in the Best of the Midwest pitch event at 5pm on Thursday at Hoyt Sherman for free.
- Poultry Patrol and Saber were semifinalists for the competition.