Are Your Doors Big Enough for the Robots?
When Brian Lynch, Ph.D., director of Horticultural Technology Solutions at Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, hands out his business card, it comes with instructions. Dr. Lynch explained people often think the Canadian organization is an academic or government research facility, which isn’t the case.
“I’ll give them my business card, and say, ‘Grab a pen, cross out the word Research and cross out the word Centre, and you just end up with Vineland Innovation,” he said, noting that’s a more fitting name for the independent, not-for-profit organization.
Advancing Horticulture and Agriculture
Brian Lynch
As a multidisciplinary organization, Vineland’s overarching mission is to support and advance horticulture-related innovation. But for Dr. Lynch’s Horticultural Technology Solutions program — previously known simply as Automation — the focus narrows to nascent technologies and the technology providers and growers who turn to Vineland for help.
From commercial testing and technology optimization to validation and commercial integration, Dr. Lynch’s group has hands in it all. By virtue of that innovation immersion, it also has fingers on the pulse of controlled environment growing. The program remains focused on supporting the industry and getting viable technology into growers’ hands.
“At Vineland, we don’t just do research for the sake of research,” Dr. Lynch said. “We really care about that end goal.” With robotics, artificial intelligence, data science, computer vision, and systems integration at its core, the Horticultural Technology Solutions program works to move horticulture and agriculture forward.
Putting Viable Tech in Growers’ Hands
Dr. Lynch noted that horticultural technology providers come to Vineland and from all business sectors and in all stages of development. Horticultural outsiders looking for a new business pillar may come wondering if their technology is applicable to CEA, for example.
Companies already in the hort or ag industries may bring new technologies, seek validation for new applications, or want insights on which direction they should take next. Dr. Lynch’s program answers those questions both for the technology provider and potential users.
“If you look at the world of technology in general, for agriculture, there’s a lot of challenges getting some of these advanced things to actually work and have a viable business case,” Dr. Lynch explained. “It’s not too crazy or too difficult to make something like AI or a robot to solve a problem. But often the problem is it’s a really expensive solution, so it’s not really helping growers.”
Case in point, he says, are robots that take 10 years to pay for themselves versus economical options that do the job with faster ROI.
So Where Are the Robots?
Supply, quality and cost of labor are constant hurdles for growers in every branch of horticulture or agriculture. Labor-saving technologies — like robots — that help growers from small- to large-scale operations overcome those challenges will change the game.
“Robotics is something that’s always on people’s minds. I get excited about that,” Dr. Lynch said. “The part of the industry that tried to create robots to solve labor issues, we’re getting to a point where the robot arm is getting cheaper. The capabilities of what you can do with a camera and computer systems and AI are phenomenal now compared to 10 to 15 years ago. I feel like we’re on the verge where we’ll certainly see more of these robots being adopted.”
So where are the robots? It’s a question Dr. Lynch often asks in talks, interviews and articles. “There are a couple dozen robots commercially available. But if you go to the average greenhouse, you don’t see them,” he explained. “We’re getting closer but we’re not quite there yet.”
Moving From Novelty to Necessity
Targets for technology researchers, developers, and the growing industries remain improved robotic performance and better, faster ROI. Then end-users can start seeing adoption of robotic technology as a necessity, not a novelty.
Dr. Lynch shared a saying he likes repeating: Good is the biggest enemy of great. He sees many technologies that “are great and can make things great.” But for growers doing well, covering costs, making a profit, and maybe doing better than they ever have, risking good for great is a big ask.
What needs to happen, Dr. Lynch says, is for growers to look at these new technologies the same way they look at a hydraulic scissor lift for high wire crops.
“You need it. There’s no way you’re going to grow your crop without it,” he stated. “If you’re starting a greenhouse, you’re not going to look at what’s the ROI on that hydraulic scissor lift. You just know you need it. … So, how do we get growers to think about these higher technologies the same way?”
Thinking Futuristically
Dr. Lynch noted that technology transformation goes beyond just adding another layer on top of what’s already there. “It really comes down to rethinking how the whole system works,” he said. Rather than a roving robot, maybe plants come to a fixed robot station instead. Maybe plant breeders focus on morphologies that make it easier for automation and technology to do the job.
Whatever the answers, now is the time for growers to think about future-proofing their greenhouse or vertical farm. “Every time I see a major company like one of the big growers investing $200 million in all this new acreage, I think, oh boy, I hope they’re going to make that door big enough for the robot,” he says.
Looking ahead, Dr. Lynch expects certain AI systems focused on crop steering, input optimization, and climate controls will ramp up. He also expects scouting and inspection technologies to transition from humans to drones and robots.
As companies build momentum, growers will “think futuristically” when they expand or break ground, considering the infrastructure — and the door sizes — they’ll need.
“You want to be on top of it,” Dr. Lynch added. “You don’t want to be the newspaper competing with online websites. You don’t want to be the Blockbuster trying to compete.”