Periodic Reporting for period 2 - AUTOFARM (Autonomous Indoor Farming)
Reporting period: 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31
Saia Agrobotics' AUTOFARM EIC Accelerator project brings a disruptive and novel automated way of operating greenhouses to the market, applying a revolutionary new growing system that unlocks plant mobility for optimal use of robotisation and artificial intelligence.
World-wide, the high-tech indoor farm sector is expanding from 60k hectares to 80k in 2025. This growth is triggered by the societal need for climate-resilient food production, the fast growing market demand for fresh food and the economic need for greater resource use efficiency. To enable this growth, many high-tech indoor farming processes have been standardised and optimised, but the automation of labour availability and crop management is lagging behind.
SAIA introduces through AUTOFARM a paradigm shift towards a food factory of the future where 50% of the labour is automated and crop management is supported by data mining and artificial intelligence. SAIA’s novel plant system enables year-round steady production which allows for up to 30% more yield.
The overarching impact of AUTOFARM extends beyond productivity gains, promising a more sustainable and resilient agricultural future that aligns with societal, economic, and environmental imperatives.
AUTOFARM pioneers the integration of cutting-edge technologies in greenhouse farming, unlocking plant mobility for improved labour efficiency. Saia Agrobotics' innovation empowers farmers with data-driven insights, redefining possibilities for efficient, year-round, and high-yield food production. In a world urgently seeking food security and sustainable practices, AUTOFARM emerges as an innovation beacon, shaping an era where technology and agriculture converge to address global challenges.
World-wide, the high-tech indoor farm sector is expanding from 60k hectares to 80k in 2025. This growth is triggered by the societal need for climate-resilient food production, the fast growing market demand for fresh food and the economic need for greater resource use efficiency. To enable this growth, many high-tech indoor farming processes have been standardised and optimised, but the automation of labour availability and crop management is lagging behind.
SAIA introduces through AUTOFARM a paradigm shift towards a food factory of the future where 50% of the labour is automated and crop management is supported by data mining and artificial intelligence. SAIA’s novel plant system enables year-round steady production which allows for up to 30% more yield.
The overarching impact of AUTOFARM extends beyond productivity gains, promising a more sustainable and resilient agricultural future that aligns with societal, economic, and environmental imperatives.
AUTOFARM pioneers the integration of cutting-edge technologies in greenhouse farming, unlocking plant mobility for improved labour efficiency. Saia Agrobotics' innovation empowers farmers with data-driven insights, redefining possibilities for efficient, year-round, and high-yield food production. In a world urgently seeking food security and sustainable practices, AUTOFARM emerges as an innovation beacon, shaping an era where technology and agriculture converge to address global challenges.
During the AUTOFARM project, SAIA built the first version of AUTOFARM together with market parties and potential future customers. In conjunction with the design and construction of the first AUTOFARM, upgraded TRL versions of all subsystems were developed and integrally prototyped. This includes an upgraded, higher-efficiency version of the robot system, improved imaging hardware, and an upgraded logistics system. In parallel, the plant system was upgraded to a commercial-ready version and tested externally with a market company. The AUTOFARM software was expanded, with the artificial intelligence now including the capability of analysing plants for harvestability and directly signalling harvest instruction to the robot. Finally, a site automation management system was developed to control AUTOFARM’s operations.
The impact of AUTOFARM’s automated greenhouse system includes a reduction of the dependence on manual labour for plant maintenance by 50%. Simultaneously, the enhanced data-driven insight into crop performance alleviates the need for highly specialised personnel with greenhouse control expertise. Combined, these factors open up a roadmap to constructing greenhouses in regions where it is currently very difficult to find good skilled workers and knowledgeable greenhouse operators. Furthermore, the automated greenhouse’s lowered need for manual labour lowers the greenhouse’s operational costs, while the increased yields increase revenues. The innovative growing system provides higher resource efficiency within the greenhouse, while providing year-round high quality produce.
Next steps in order to ensure further uptake and success of the AUTOFARM system include deployment of AUTOFARM at a launching customer and the creation of a scaled version for international adoption of the automation solution. In order to do so, a value-engineered version of the full system will be created, which maximises cleanability and system lifespan. In order to obtain further validation of long-term targets and performance indicators for prospective customers, such a system should operate for a couple of seasons in a commercial production setting.
Next steps in order to ensure further uptake and success of the AUTOFARM system include deployment of AUTOFARM at a launching customer and the creation of a scaled version for international adoption of the automation solution. In order to do so, a value-engineered version of the full system will be created, which maximises cleanability and system lifespan. In order to obtain further validation of long-term targets and performance indicators for prospective customers, such a system should operate for a couple of seasons in a commercial production setting.