The world's first automated farm managed by robots

The Iron Ox farm of nearly 750 square meters operates completely automatically under the supervision of a farmer robot named Angus.

Iron Ox , a technology start-up in California, USA, is using robots for indoor farms, Business Insider reported on October 3. After years of research and development, the company launched the world's first automated farm managed by a 454kg mobile robot named Angus.

Iron Ox's founders Brandon Alexander and Jon Binney want the technology they are developing to be more widely applicable. They see the potential in agriculture, where Angus will help overcome the severe labor shortage.

Angus robot keeps track of crops in the farm.(Photo: Iron Ox).

While farmers have to check their crops several times a day, ensuring plants have enough water, nutrients and nitrogen, Angus speeds up the process by moving crops from harvesting areas to production centers."We have to develop most of the technology from zero, but now we have a real robot that can take care of well-grown crops," Alexander said.

Plants placed in a warehouse of nearly 750 square meters are designed to take advantage of natural light. Iron Ox found that sunlight was the most economical method to collect energy. Instead of using land, the company that relies on hydroponics allows the transfer of water, nutrients and oxygen directly to the roots.

The company planted more than 20 varieties of plants a day, or about 26,000 roots of lettuce each year, equivalent to a 0.4-hectare outdoor farm. Each variety has its own characteristics. For example, Genoa basil is grown longer than lettuce. With new technology, Iron Ox can achieve productivity per hectare 30 times higher than traditional farms.

Cloud data system called "The Brain" collects information from hydroponic chambers. Currently, the company has more than 25 custom planting compartments, each weighing about 363 kg. The Brain sent the data directly to Angus so the robot knew which crops were ready to harvest. "When The Brain said" Hey, it's 14 days to harvest the cabbage, "our robot will find it and lift the whole compartment , " Alexander explained.

After that, the robotic arm will sweep the entire chamber, listing the position of each crop to the nearest millimeter. Its camera also collects detailed 3D data for each spleen. According to Alexander, this helps prevent plant diseases and improves productivity.