Iron Ox launches autonomous greenhouse robot

Iron Ox is a farming innovation company based in San Carlos, California with expertise in plant science, robotics and artificial intelligence. The company has announced the launch of its mobile support robot named Grover. Iron Ox claims the autonomous mobile robot can lift more than 1,000 pounds and assists in the monitoring, watering and harvesting of a wide variety of crops, from leafy greens to strawberries, in greenhouses.

Closed-loop system

Iron Ox says Grover is a key component of the company’s broader farming ecosystem, a closed-loop system that ís to optimise plant yield, reduce growth cycle time and maximise crop quality. The company aims to produce locally sourced fruits and vegetables that cost about the same as produce from conventional farms.

Lift system

Grover employs a differential drive system, multiple LiDAR systems, upward and forward-facing camera systems. It is additionally equipped with a lift system to autonomously move 1,000-pound, 6-by-6-foot modules of hydroponically fed plants throughout the greenhouse. Modules are regularly transported by Grover to a scanning booth for inspection and based on the results, they are taken for additional water, nutrients or harvesting.

Iron Ox says Grover allows them to change crops at a moment’s notice to meet the needs of nearby grocery stores that, for instance, experience a spike in demand for specific seasonal or even out-of-season produce.