Agriculture of the future

(video in German)

Basic data

• Company: FARMIONIC
• igus products used: robolink® RL-DP - complete module five degrees of freedom
• Sector: Agriculture
• Payback period: 13-15 months

Description of application

Farmionic has set itself the goal of developing a container system for the fully automated indoor cultivation of vegetables and herbs. In addition to a robot, which independently handles all tasks from planting seeds to harvesting, the container is equipped with a system for the smart control of climate, light, fertiliser and water. This allows environmental conditions to be controlled and individually adapted to the cultivated plants. The container system is complemented by a cloud-based solution for monitoring and analysing all system processes and the health status of the cultivated plants. Farmionic's vision is to set up fully automated containers in cities, for example in parking lots, underground car parks, train stations and other central points. 

Problem
The availability of fresh, regional vegetables all year round is a challenge that is already pushing conventional agriculture to its limits. The increase in extreme weather conditions caused by climate change is continuing to affect the system, and requires ever greater expenditure of resources and personnel. In addition, there is the complex storage of crops and long transport routes, with the result that many of the organically grown products also end up with a poor CO2 footprint.

Cost reduction - process optimisation - enhanced efficiency

For future customers and their customers:

• 24/7 access to fresh vegetables and herbs
• Shortest delivery times and transport routes
• A consistent harvest in summer and winter
• Pesticide-free vegetables and herbs that are produced completely sustainably
• Minimal personnel costs
• 90% water savings compared to conventional agriculture
• Independence from location
• Better quality

Benefits for the society

• Use of existing land in cities for food production
• Lower CO2 emissions
• Lower air pollution and noise pollution through regional production