Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/705606
5 4 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T | J u l y - A u g 2 016 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m e x t y e a r p r o m i s e s to be the year of the a g r i c u l t u r a l r o b o t . With the altruistic vision of creating a sustainable society where future gen- e r a t i o n s a r e f r e e f r o m worry about food security and safety, the world's first robotic lettuce farm will go into production in 2017. Kyoto, Japan-based com- pany, Spread, has retooled an indoor vertical lettuce plant where robots will plant, water, harvest and trim up to 30,000 heads of lettuce every day. The automated plant will reduce labor costs by 50%, cut energy use by 30% and recycle 98% of the water needed to grow the crops. The company has plans to build similar robot farms to grow staple crops and plant protein around the world. G r o w i n g l e t t u c e i n a greenhouse is a far cry from managing a vineyard, but + Driverless and remotely operated tractors are being adapted for vineyard work. + French company Vitirover has commercialized a vineyard mower robot. + Improved accuracy and falling prices for sen- sors will advance robotic pruning technology. + Higher minimum wages and triple-digit growth in agtech funding will speed adoption. AT A GLANCE The Dawn of Agtech Agricultural drones may be creating plenty of buzz, but their terrestrial cousins — the robots — are poised to make their commercial debut. BY DEBORAH PARKER WONG Guided by a set of sensors, Vitirover uses three small mowing heads that can cut grass within 2 cm (0.8 in) from the base of a vine. [Photo by Sylvie Monin]