Introducing Robotics Into The Emerging World Of Vertical Farming

How Robots are used in Vertical Farming:

• Seeding
• Irrigation (by spraying water)
• Harvesting (by cutting leaves and fruits off plants)
• Pest control (if applicable)

Table of Contents

• How Robotics Are Accelerating Vertical Farming
• How Vertical Farms Save Water & Feed More People
• Other Technologies used in Vertical Farming
• In the News
• Food Safety

A challenge in vertical farming is developing a robot designed for:

• Enabling agricultural production systems to autonomously plant
• Monitor crop development status
• Provide real-time diagnostics of environmental conditions
• Detect diseases
• Pollinate flowers directly without relying on honeybees or other natural pollinators
• Weed fields using mechanical weeding tools
• Apply treatments using sprayers precisely located throughout the greenhouse using vision guidance systems and/or autonomous mobile platforms
• Harvest fruits and vegetables when ready for harvest
• Sort produce to ensure that only the desired mature fruits or vegetables are picked

How Vertical Farms Save Water & Feed More People

Vertical farming technologies are a way to reduce food waste and help with food production to feed the ever-growing population while using less water than traditional farming methods. By using robotics in vertical farming, we can improve efficiency even more by programming robots efficiently through pre-programming or even artificial intelligence. According to NASA regarding indoor farming, currently a global market worth $2.9 billion, some estimates project the vertical farming market could reach $7.3 billion by 2025. As agricultural technology advances, so does vertical farming itself allowing them both to grow together. As technology advances, so will robotics and its uses in not only vertical farming but other types of products as well.

Other Technologies used in Vertical Farming

• Hydroponic systems which involve growing plants without soil using mineral nutrient water. They are suspended but have a constant supply of water.
• Aeroponic systems that suspend roots in the air without soil and are intermittently misted with water instead of having a constant supply.
• Aquaponics is like hydroponics but also involves keeping fish and raising them on organic farms. By adding fish into the system, they help keep the water clean enough for crops to grow.
• LED lighting can reduce electricity consumption by 40% compared to traditional fluorescent lamp systems.
• Sensors pick up information about the crops and send it to a central location that can track everything from temperature, nitrate levels in the water, humidity, carbon dioxide levels, etc.

Vertical farming is solving issues with food security and global food shortages by using robotics in different ways to produce more crop yields while using fewer resources which in turn helps feed people. This creates a win-win situation for everyone because people can eat healthier, robots help make the process efficient and more effective, and companies in this industry continue to grow to allow the ideas of vertical farming to spread. Humans currently use 40% of land worldwide. As our population grows, we need additional space for housing and farmland but there isn’t much room left. That’s where vertical farms come into play.

In the News

According to CNBC, Walmart has said it’s investing in the vertical farming company Plenty. The company will sell its leafy greens in Walmart’s California locations. This is a huge step for grocery stores because shelf-life will increase and delivery time will decrease as the growing systems are close to the stores.
Also making headlines is Bowery Farming. The company is the nation’s largest vertical farming operation. According to PRNewswire, Bowery’s two newest operations “will create more than 200 year-round green jobs across both markets and provide locally grown produce to a population of 20 million and 16 million within a 200-mile radius of Locust Grove, Georgia, and Arlington, Texas, respectively. Both farms are expected to open in the first quarter of 2023.”

Food Safety

Vertical farms are designed with food safety in mind. No food can cross-contaminate, as everything grown inside is contained within each pod. If one pod becomes contaminated, it does not affect the others, unlike traditional agriculture where farm contamination can have economic consequences well beyond a single farm or even state. For example, peanuts tend to stick together when harvested so if one nut contains salmonella bacteria it will transfer to many more food products. Because these systems are so highly controlled throughout the entire life cycle of the plant, they are cleaner than traditional food production systems. In fact, as food safety becomes an even bigger issue as water supplies are being compromised around the world, vertical farms have been proposed as a potential answer to food security and food safety fears over contaminated drinking water.