The world's first automated farm run by robots

Iron Ox, a California-based tech startup, is using robots to farm indoors - Business Insider reported. After years of research and development, the company launched the world's first automated farm managed by a 1,000-pound mobile robot named Angus.

Iron Ox founders Brandon Alexander and Jon Binney want to make the technology they're developing more widely applicable. They see potential in the agricultural industry, where Angus could help address a severe labor shortage.

Angus robot monitors crops on the farm.

While farmers have to check their crops multiple times a day to make sure they have enough water, nutrients, and nitrogen, Angus speeds up the process by moving crops from the harvest area to the production center. “We had to develop a lot of the technology from scratch, but now we have a robot that can actually take care of the crops,” Alexander said.

Plants are placed in a warehouse of nearly 750m2.²designed to take advantage of natural light. Iron Ox found that sunlight is the most economical way to collect energy. Instead of using soil, the company relies on a hydroponic system that delivers water, nutrients, and oxygen directly to the plant roots.

The company grows more than 20 varieties a day, or about 26,000 heads of lettuce a year, the equivalent of a 1-acre outdoor farm. Each variety has its own characteristics. Genoa basil, for example, takes longer to grow than butterhead lettuce. With new technology, Iron Ox can produce 30 times more per acre than a traditional farm.

Cloud data system name"The Brain"collects information from hydroponic pods. The company currently has more than 25 custom-made pods, each weighing about 800 pounds. The Brain sends data directly to Angus, letting the robot know which crops are ready to harvest. “When The Brain says, ‘Hey, pod 14 is ready to harvest bok choy,’ our robot goes to that pod and lifts the whole pod,” Alexander explains.

The robotic arm then scans the entire chamber, cataloging each plant’s location down to the millimeter. Its camera also captures detailed 3D data for each sage stem. This, Alexander says, helps prevent plant diseases and improve yields.