Companies want to use robotics and AI to revolutionize farming.
Robot farming startup Iron Ox has taken the first step in doing so, announcing today that it’s selling robot-reared leafy greens in a single location in California.
The firm, which was launched last October, is offering three varieties of greens at the San Carlos branch of Bianchini’s Market, a family-owned grocery store that specializes in local and organic produce.
Iron Ox is one of a number of companies trying to automate the human-intensive work of agriculture. It uses a combination of robotic picking arms, hydroponic vats, and self-driving porters to grow vegetables.
But despite its repeated claims that its farming is “autonomous,” humans are still needed for a lot of the work.
One benefits of robot farm is that they can be located nearer to customers because of their smaller physical footprint.
Iron Ox says the greens it’s producing for Bianchini’s travel just 0.6 miles to get there, which is half the distance traveled by a typical head of lettuce. This means lower transportation costs and fewer food miles, a big factor when it comes to the environmental impact of what you put on your plate.
But the scale of Iron Ox’s operation is limited.
It’s selling just three varieties of leafy greens and delivering them to Bianchini’s just once a week. The prices aren’t exorbitant, but they are on the expensive side.
Thanks to its technology, Iron Ox’s farm requires much less space than a traditional farm, a key selling point that the company hopes will allow it to one day ensure everyone has access to fresh, affordable produce — and now that its greens are in one store, it’s a step closer to achieving that vision.
Reference- Futurism, The Verge, Iron Ox website,The Fast Company website