Silicon Valley Robot Farm Begins Selling Automated Produce

SILICON VALLEY, CA -- Iron Ox, a tech startup that is unique in that it only uses robots to grow and maintain produce in San Carlos, has begun selling that produce to a local market.

The fully automated farm, which opened in October 2018, now has a contract to sell produce to family-owned grocery Bianchini's Market, also located in San Carlos.

Iron Ox sells three types of greens at the market: baby head lettuce, Genovese basil, and red-veined sorrel. It supplies the store with five to 10 cases of produce weekly from its robot farm.

The farm is managed by a completely self-sufficient 1,000-pound robot, and the produce is grown using a combination of robotic picking arms, hydroponic vats, and self-driving porters. The robot can perform tasks like fetching growth modules when the plant needs an operation such as watering and harvesting.

Humans aren't completely left out of the process, however: people are still needed to plant the seeds at the robotic greenhouse, as well as pack the grown produce for delivery.