FloraScale: Next-Gen Micro-Farming - Scalable Autonomy for High-Density Crop Production

Project type: internal

Status: 2022 – current (ongoing project)

Small vertical and indoor farms with 50-70 m² footprint and an annual turnover of up to 50k€ offer greater flexibility and lower installation and operating costs compared to large farms. This reduces the entry level into this technology and facilitates its wider adoption by start-ups, retirees, families combining part-time work and private business. These farms provide flexible and decentralized food production for local community, significantly reducing the logistical overhead and transportation costs – typical production of microgreens, wheat-/oat-/barley- grass, leafy greens, strawberry and other plants suitable for indoor cultivation. Worldwide, around 80% of the global market of indoor farming is currently composed from small agribusiness. The transition toward autonomous micro-farming represents a fundamental shift in how we approach food security and urban land use. The goal of this project is to create an autonomous scalable cultivation system with a high degree of automation, minimal installation and operating costs and with minimal human intervention. By integrating advanced sensors, biofeedback systems and automated control, we reduce energy and water use, and move away from resource-intensive industrial models toward a resilient, distributed network of hyper-local food systems. This project consists of three subtopics:

    • Sub-project “FloraScale: bio-sensors”: in-situ biosensors for real-time monitoring of biomass, water uptake, and rhizospheric performance in high-density indoor cultivation; development of highly productive growth strategies with plant biofeedback; applying AI for optimization and biological modeling;
    • Sub-project “FloraScale: power electronics”: development of affordable power electronics to control irrigation, lighting and ventilation;
    • Sub-project “FloraScale: affordable infrastructure”: development of cost-effective solutions, including 3D printing for rack/shelf assembling, using substrate-free cultivation; automation to reduce production costs and potentially achieve fully autonomous cultivation system.
A key aspect of this project is the scalability and adaptability of a food production system to a range of available resources (water and energy) and production sizes (easy transition to a medium-sized system of up to 500 m2).
 

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