WORLD ’ S FIRST ROBOT-RUN FARM OPENS IN JAPAN
Automation is on the way to the industries . Spread , a Japanese vegetable producer , announces its automated farm run by robots in Kameoka , Kyoto prefecture . It will the world ’ s first “ robot farm ” in an attempt to address labor shortages by the country ’ s shrinking workforce and aging population . The robot will do the re-planting of young seedlings , watering , trimming and eventually harvesting of crops . The feat is said to boost the productions from 21,000 to 50,000 lettuces per day and a consequent plan to raise it up to half a million lettuces daily in five years . It will also improve efficiency and reduce labor cost into half according to Spread ’ s global marketing manager , JJ Price . With the success of the first automated farm , surely , Japan plans to build more robotic plant factories elsewhere , even across the globe .
Photos by Getty Images
JULY 2016 Future Cities & Robotics
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