The world's first robot-run farm will harvest 30,000 heads of lettuce daily
The world's first robot-run farm will harvest 30,000
heads of lettuce daily
By Leanna Garfield
12h 17,810 12
The Japanese lettuce production company Spread believes
the farmers of the future will be robots.
So much so that Spread is creating the world's first farm
manned entirely by robots. Instead of relying on human farmers, the indoor
Vegetable Factory will employ robots that can harvest 30,000 heads of lettuce
every day.
Don't expect a bunch of humanoid robots to roam the
halls, however; the robots look more like conveyor belts with arms. They'll
plant seeds, water plants, and trim lettuce heads after harvest in the Kyoto,
Japan farm.
"The use of machines and technology has been
improving agriculture in this way throughout human history," J.J. Price, a
spokesperson at Spread, tells Tech Insider. "With the introduction of
plant factories and their controlled environment, we are now able to provide
the ideal environment for the crops."
The Vegetable Factory follows the growing agricultural
trend of vertical farming, where farmers grow crops indoors without natural
sunlight. Instead, they rely on LED light and grow crops on racks that stack on
top of each other.
In addition to increasing production and reducing waste,
indoor vertical farming also eliminates runoff from pesticides and herbicides —
chemicals used in traditional outdoor farming that can be harmful to the
environment.
The new farm, set to open in 2017, will be an upgrade to
Spread's existing indoor farm, the Kameoka Plant. That farm currently produces
about 21,000 heads of lettuce per day with help from a small staff of humans.
Spread's new automation technology will not only produce more lettuce, it will
also reduce labor costs by 50%, cut energy use by 30%, and recycle 98% of water
needed to grow the crops.
The resulting increase in revenue and resources could cut
costs for consumers, Price says.
"Our mission is to help create a sustainable society
where future generations will not have to worry about food security and food
safety," Price says. "This means that we will have to make it
affordable for everyone and begin to grow staple crops and plant protein to
make a real difference."
Spread is also developing sensors to provide data about
how specific type of crops grow. These sensors would alert human workers if a
crop is not growing correctly, allowing them to adjust techniques as necessary.
Farm robots will certainly eliminate some human jobs, but
they could also create new and more interesting jobs for people. Spread's human
farmers, for example, will be able to concentrate on developing sustainable
farming methods and learning how to produce higher quality vegetables.
The Vegetable Factory will open next year, and
eventually, Spread hopes to build similar robot farms around the world.
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