Agriculture IoT startup n.thing has developed Planty Cube, an automated vertical farming system that allows users to maintain crops at any time and from anywhere. The system connects like LEGO bricks with a modular design made up of multiple capsules called pickcells that contain the seeds of each plant.

To demonstrate its potential, n.thing has developed a smart hydroponic farm that uses the Planty Cube design. Shaped like a shipping container, it is made of stacked rows and shelves of planters on each wall with each pickcell roughly two inches in width, length and depth. After seeds are sown through their smart seed capsules, a computerised system controls the environment by monitoring plant health and adjusting the LEDs, temperature and humidity accordingly. The Planty Cube system, which uses sensors to collect data on the plants, can also be controlled via a smartphone, presenting the unique opportunity to farm remotely.

The grow system can work in a number of different settings, from an apartment to a cafeteria and is automated enough that plants can thrive without constant human attention. The ease of use also makes it simpler for clients who want to start vertical farming businesses, to increase the size of their farm at low-costs, over longer periods of time, and in line with their individual business growth.

A number of companies are developing vertical farming concepts including LG who launched its own indoor vertical farm at CES 2020. Unlike glasshouse production, which relies on sunlight, vertical farming makes use of led lighting to provide different wavelengths of light, according to crop and growth stage need. These high-tech units are being presented as the solution to many of the challenges facing traditional production methods, such as pollution and water use.

Via designboom | Images courtesy of n.thing