LOS ANGELES — Sorting Robotics, a leading provider of industrial automation technology for the cannabis industry, is proud to announce the appointment of Patrick DeGrosse Jr. as the company’s Director of Engineering. Over nearly two decades as a Senior Mechatronics Engineer for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Patrick has led diverse technical teams towards putting robots on Mars across multiple flagship flight projects for NASA, including the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers and the Mars Sample Return Lander. In addition, Patrick led the design of NASA’s FDA approved VITAL pneumatic ventilator during the pandemic, deployed at low-cost to multiple countries and providing life-saving technology to underserved populations.
Today, Patrick is the third former NASA-JPL employee to join Sorting Robotics, after Nohtal Partansky, Co-Founder and CEO. Patrick will spearhead the company’s engineering efforts and bring added disruption to industrial automation within the cannabis industry.
“NASA-JPL trained an amazing engineer and technical manager, along with his exceptional track record and passion for pushing the boundaries of technology, it’s an exciting time for Sorting Robotics to be welcoming Patrick to its team,” said Nohtal Partansky, Co-Founder and CEO of Sorting Robotics. “It’s important to have top-tier, precision-focused talent joining the industry to solve some of its biggest, toughest challenges. That said, Patrick will play a large role in our continued effort to optimize the cannabis industry’s value chain through automated robotics solutions.”
“I’m excited to be a part of Sorting Robotics’ efforts in driving cost reduction and productivity enhancement for the cannabis industry. What the team has already accomplished is admirable, and I believe my experience at NASA-JPL puts me in a unique position to help solve a new level of challenges the cannabis industry presents to operators,” said Patrick DeGrosse Jr., Director of Engineering of Sorting Robotics.
As Director of Engineering, Patrick will lead Sorting Robotics’ engineering team in developing cutting-edge solutions that address the unique needs of cannabis manufacturers and processors. His appointment marks a significant milestone for Sorting Robotics as the company continues to expand its footprint in the rapidly growing cannabis market.
To learn more about Sorting Robotics, please visit SortingRobotics.com.
About Sorting Robotics
Sorting Robotics is an industrial automation technology company for the cannabis industry. Specializing in robotics, computer vision, and AI technologies, Sorting Robotics helps break through the toughest bottlenecks of cannabis brands and processors utilizing a combination of real-time production data analytics and modern IoT hardware. This proprietary technology has been engineered to help manufacturers and processors grow and scale their operations efficiently, effectively, and profitably.
About Nohtal Partansky
Nohtal Partansky is the Founder and CEO of Sorting Robotics. He is a serial entrepreneur and former NASA-JPL engineer. At NASA-JPL, Nohtal was a cognizant engineer on the MOXIE project; an instrument on the surface of Mars producing oxygen from the Martian atmosphere. After leaving NASA-JPL, Nohtal founded Sorting Robotics with his co-founder, Cassio Dos Santos Jr.
Since the company’s inception, Nohtal has led Sorting Robotics in building innovative equipment for cannabis manufacturers and vertically integrated brands. While building Sorting Robotics, he witnessed firsthand how the lack of automation in the cannabis industry disrupts the value chain and erodes profit margins. Today, Sorting Robotics is working to solve those problems with AI-driven machines deployed across North America.
About Patrick DeGrosse Jr.
Patrick DeGrosse Jr. received his BS in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2007, graduating summa cum laude. He spent the following 19 years at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a senior mechatronics engineer for the Mechanisms and Mobility group within the Spacecraft Mechanical Engineering section. Patrick has designed and led multi-disciplinary technical teams towards the successful ‘cradle-to-grave’ delivery of spaceflight hardware for Mars across multiple flagship NASA missions, focusing primarily on Martian mobility and landing gear systems, terramechanics, and notably designing the wheels for the Perseverance rover. Patrick has also designed flight hardware for robotic sampling systems, the Mars rovers’ batteries, conducted flight hardware qualification test programs, and led spacecraft level integration and testing teams in cleanroom environments. Patrick was also the lead engineer for NASA’s VITAL ventilator, developed during the pandemic and achieving FDA approval in less than 45 days from conception. Outside of work, Patrick operates a small Airbnb business with profit sharing for his staff, and has passions for fitness, music, furry animals, and wrenching on old cars.
