CEA Startup Cuts Water Use by 92% with Autonomous Mobile Robots
Zebra Technologies Corporation, a leading digital solution provider enabling businesses to intelligently connect data, assets, and people, has announced that Hippo Harvest, a California-based controlled environment agriculture startup, has successfully integrated Zebra’s autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) to grow greens, enabling the company to save up to 92% of water and use 55% less fertilizer than conventional produce growers. Hippo Harvest is using advanced plant science, machine learning, and robotics to grow leafy greens and other produce in sustainable greenhouse environments.
Pioneering new growing methods to combat global warming, Hippo Harvest built a system that uses machine learning to determine how much water, fertilizer and light is needed to produce its crops. Inside its greenhouses, Hippo Harvest is leveraging Zebra’s Freight100 AMRs to farm its plants more efficiently, from delivering precise levels of water and nutrition to plants, to delicately harvesting the company’s crops. In addition, Zebra’s Fetch AMRs are assigned picking and moving tasks around its greenhouse facilities so workers can focus on more strategic activities. The AMRs also serve as a direct link for data collection for the company’s machine learning algorithms to make improvements in production and greenhouse throughput.
“We found exactly what we needed with Zebra’s AMRs to develop growing methods that address some of the biggest challenges facing our food supply and the agriculture sector,” said Hippo Harvest CEO Eitan Marder-Eppstein. “We’re excited to continue collaborating with Zebra Technologies as we work to develop transformative growing processes that are sustainable and make the best use of our natural resources.”
Hippo Harvest signed The Climate Pledge, a commitment founded by Amazon and Global Optimism for businesses to reach net-zero carbon by 2040. The startup uses only natural pest controls, and its greenhouses are strategically located near consumers to increase the shelf life of its greens and reduce carbon emissions.
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“Hippo Harvest has deployed Zebra’s AMRs inside its greenhouses to help farm plants more efficiently, save water and reduce food waste,” said Matthew Wicks, Senior Director of Product Management, Zebra Technologies. “Our robots are easy to configure and deploy, which allows for a variety of applications from repetitive pick and move, to more complex activities such as harvesting of plants and data collection. We’re excited to help Hippo Harvest apply Zebra’s most advanced technology solutions to work in new ways and deliver fresh, sustainably grown produce to its customers.”
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Hippo Harvest is leveraging Zebra’s AMRs for precise irrigation portioning and delivery of nutrition to plants, saving up to 92% of water and using 55% less fertilizer than conventional produce growers.
- Zebra’s AMRs are executing most of the company’s production tasks, including harvesting, transportation, watering and nutrient deliveries, and serve as the direct linkage for data collection for machine learning and AI to increase production and greenhouse throughput.
- Hippo Harvest signed a commitment to reach net-zero carbon by 2040. Hippo Harvest does not use conventional pesticides and uses advanced plant science, robotics and AI for crop management to improve the sustainability and productivity of its operations.
- Learn more about Hippo Harvest’s pioneering approach to sustainable farming with Zebra’s AMRs deployment here and watch the video version here.
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