When necessary, the US military employs devices containing ultra-sensitive sensors that can detect if a bomb will explode nearby.
Now, oddly enough, that same technology is being used to monitor and grow food.
Ag-tech startup FluxIoT has built a robot named Eddy with the same kind of military-grade sensors — except that they can analyse plant health. Eddy, which measures a few inches tall, is for hydroponic farming, a method of growing indoors without natural sunlight, pesticides, or soil.
Here’s how it works: Eddy sits in the growing reservoir, which contains transplanted crops after the seedlings have sprouted. The device monitors the entire process, making sure crops have the right amount of oxygen, nutrients, and light from LEDs. The system analyses these data points in real-time, and sends reports to a mobile app.
Read the full article by Leanna Garfield at Business Insider Australia.