Automation in Indoor Farming: More Than Just Flashy Technology

Automation in Indoor Farming: More Than Just Flashy Technology

In indoor farming, automation is not about incorporating the latest tech for the sake of it. According to Nick Genty, CEO of AGEYE Technologies, successful automation must cater to the practical realities of farming. It’s about developing systems that optimize productivity and labor efficiency without sacrificing cost-effectiveness. As technology advances, there is a growing emphasis on balancing sophistication with practicality.

Building Automation for the Farm, Not a Factory

One key insight from Genty’s approach to automation is that farming and manufacturing require distinct strategies. “This is a farm, not a high-tech manufacturing line,” Genty points out. While automation can bring significant benefits, it’s critical that the systems match the economic model of the farm, focusing on maximizing labor savings and yield improvements. For many failed ventures, over-engineering or high upfront costs often resulted in unclear ROI, which makes AGEYE’s affordable, industrial-level automation solutions a key differentiator.

The Benefits of a Single Vendor System

A major evolution in AGEYE’s offerings came with the acquisition of the HYVE brand. By integrating hardware, software, and automation systems, AGEYE has consolidated the farm’s entire ecosystem under one umbrella. This simplifies installation, improves reliability, and offers growers a streamlined process for operating vertical farms. The key advantage lies in the holistic approach to automation, where all components—from racks to fertigation—are fully integrated, offering consistent performance.

The Power of Real-Time Crop Intelligence: ARIS in Action

AGEYE’s Autonomous Robotic Imaging System (ARIS) stands out as one of the most unique components of its automation stack. ARIS provides real-time, high-precision imaging of crops, continuously monitoring plant development across every layer of a vertical farm. Using a combination of RGB, LiDAR, and thermal imaging, it assesses biomass, detects early stress signals, and identifies potential disease or nutrient deficiencies, all without manual intervention. This system improves the speed and accuracy of crop monitoring, increasing efficiency by over 150% compared to traditional scouting methods.

Optimizing Precision Cultivation Through Digital Twins

Looking forward, AGEYE is deepening the integration between its physical automation systems and digital twin platforms. This integration allows for better predictive control, tighter feedback loops, and fewer manual interventions. In addition, AGEYE is expanding its research into new crop types such as livestock fodder, flowers, and fruiting crops, along with optimizing resources like lighting, water, and nutrients on a per-plant basis. The company’s long-term goal is to make precision cultivation scalable across various crop types.

A Future of Scalable, Precision Agriculture

As AGEYE continues to refine its technology, its focus on affordability and scalability ensures that automation can become a standard in vertical farming. By optimizing inputs such as light, water, and nutrients on an individual plant level, AGEYE is paving the way for a more efficient, sustainable farming system. Through advanced systems like ARIS and its seamless integration with other farm technologies, AGEYE is creating a foundation for a new era of farming—one that minimizes waste, maximizes yield, and enables the future of sustainable agriculture.