Indoor Hydroponics Robot System for Automated Seeding and Logistics

Hon Kit Hui, Jimmy H. M. Lee, Anthony K. W. Sum, Darwin Lau

Abstract: In recent years, indoor hydroponics farming has been a promising new mode to ensure stable and increased density food production regardless of weather and location. However, the lack of development of hydroponic robot systems limit the automation of smaller space indoor environments where automated hydroponic mechatronic racks are not suitable nor economical. This work presents an automated robot system for exactly this purpose. It comprises of: 1) a seeding end-effector for 6 degree-of-freedom robot arms to plant small seeds; 2) a mobile robot tray logistics robot; and 3) an automated software to schedule and operate the system. The novel robot system has been implemented and in operation for over 2 years at the Controlled Environment Hydroponic Research and Development Centre in Hong Kong, showing its efficacy to minimise human labour and increase efficiency.