World’s First Robot-Run Farm To Open In Japan
The world’s first fully autonomous ‘robo-farm’ is due to open in 2017 and is set to produce 30,000 heads of lettuce a day.
Staffed by robots, ‘The Vegetable Factory’ is set to reduce labour costs by 50 per cent and will produce up to half a million lettuce heads a day within the next five years, says its owner.
The massive indoor farm’s goal is to increase production while reducing costs, as well as addressing the potential labour shortage created by an ageing workforce.
Run by vegetable producer Spread, the vertical farm is located in Kameoka, Kyoto and uses LED lighting to slash energy costs, while almost all of the water used is recycled.
The factory will eventually produce half a million lettuce heads a day (Spread)
The robo-farmers will seed, water, trim and harvest the lettuces, though they will mostly take the form of conveyor belts with arms, rather than humanoid robots gliding around the factory floor.
The company says that the aim is to create a futuristic farm where humans can work efficiently alongside robots, rather than to replace human workers altogether.
The firm plans to build more robo-farms in Japan, and eventually overseas, in future.
Image credit: Spread
