Fully Autonomous Farming

The world’s first fully robotic production farm recently began operations in a former commercial warehouse. Designed from the ground up to utilize robots for every step of the process – from transplanting seedlings to watering, trimming and harvesting crops – the developers hope to address the need for affordable, locally grown produce in urban “food deserts” as well as rural areas where fresh produce may not be available year-round.

The new farm utilizes a hydroponic growing system which takes 90 percent less water than traditional methods. Plants are arranged in a single layer to take advantage of natural light, which saves on energy and LED bulbs. Even the design of pots and trays is optimized to work with the robots. As a result, the robotic farm can generate up to 30 times more produce than a similar-sized outdoor farm.

The system also uses artificial intelligence (AI) to improve its operations. The developers hope to eventually build algorithms that will enable the robots to identify plant diseases and what nutrients are needed for optimal growth.

The advantages of indoor farming are many. In addition to being sustainable and scalable, growing food indoors reduces the need for pesticides and herbicides, and isn’t affected by climate or weather. Bringing food production closer to the consumer also reduces the time, cost and environmental impact of transporting goods (sometimes as far as 2,000 miles for a head of lettuce).