Grover tends to a wide variety of produce, from strawberries to tomatoes to leafy greens – while drastically reducing food waste
Iron Ox, a farming innovation company with deep expertise in plant science, robotics and artificial intelligence, has launched a first-of-its-kind mobile support robot named Grover. The 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.
Grover is a key component of Iron Ox’s broader farming ecosystem, a closed-loop system that optimizes plant yield, reduces growth cycle time and maximises crop quality. The result is locally sourced fruits and vegetables that currently cost about the same as produce from conventional farms, with substantially lower environmental impacts. Grover is the result of Iron Ox’s industry-shaping team of roboticists, plant scientists, and engineers. The San Carlos, California based start-up uses artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer vision, and robotics to grow more with less, leading to less food waste and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
Grover allows Iron Ox 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.
Grover employs a differential drive system, multiple LiDAR systems, upward and forward-facing camera systems. Grover 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.
