AeroFarms
Assembly Line
Using Industrial Automation to Monitor Vertical Farms
The adoption of artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms now allow analysis of vast amounts of data collected from sensors to enable predictive analytics. Farmers can make more informed decisions about managing crops, optimizing resource usage, and predicting yields.
AeroFarms and Nokia discussed how to build a system to monitor a vertical farm where leafy greens including arugula, bok choy, and kale are grown. A typical facility can produce more than 1 million kilograms of leafy greens annually. A 13,000-square-meter facility such as the AeroFarms one in Danville is so large that workers can’t physically check all the plants. “Because the growth cycle in indoor farming is much shorter than outdoor farming, it is very important to know what’s going on at all times and not to miss anything,” Klein says. “If you fail to detect something, you will miss a huge opportunity. You might be at the end of your growth cycle, and you can’t take corrective measures in terms of the production yield, or the quality or quantity of produce.”
AeroFarms Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection, CEO Steps Down
AeroFarms®, a global pioneer in the indoor vertical farming sector, has voluntarily filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The petition was filed in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware following the Company’s board deliberations. Alongside the petition, AeroFarms has submitted several ‘first-day’ motions seeking standard relief to transition into Chapter 11 with minimal disruptions to its core business operations.
The industrial metaverse: A game-changer for operational technology
By combining its AI-based autonomous drone-control solution and advanced machine-learning capabilities with machine vision tools, Nokia Bell Labs has created a technology that can track the growth of millions of plants. “We have developed a completely autonomous drone solution with multiple drones flying through this farm,” says Klein. That allows the farm to monitor details such as the height and color of its plants, spot poor growth areas, and predict the production yield.
“We actually built a complete digital twin of the farm that gives the growers a real-time picture of the entire production throughout the farm,” says Klein. With data analysis, the farm can optimize its water, energy, and nutrient consumption; speed up troubleshooting; improve accuracy in yield forecast; and maintain a consistently high quality.