4AG Robotics introduces cutting-edge technology to automate mushroom harvesting, promising significant labor savings and environmental benefits for the industry.
A company based in Salmon Arm, BC, is pioneering the use of robotics and artificial intelligence to address labor shortages in the mushroom farming industry. 4AG Robotics, led by Sean O’Connor, aims to revolutionize the way mushrooms are harvested by utilizing advanced technology to perform tasks that are traditionally labor-intensive and prone to high turnover rates. The company’s innovations include a system capable of operating 24 hours a day, harvesting up to 80 pounds of mushrooms per hour, and performing tasks such as pruning, thinning, weighing, and packaging the crops.
The mushroom farming industry has long struggled with labor shortages due to the repetitive and physically demanding nature of the work. These challenges have resulted in high turnover rates, further exacerbating the industry’s labor issues. The company’s solution involves the development of robotic arms equipped with small cameras and artificial intelligence, designed to determine the optimal time to harvest each mushroom, minimizing food waste and ensuring consistent quality.
According to O’Connor’s words in a conversation with Kelownanow, one of the key breakthroughs in the development of this technology was perfecting the camera and lighting systems, which allow the robots to accurately identify which mushrooms are ready to be picked. “There’s a lot of work that we needed to do with the camera, with the lighting board, and with artificial intelligence to be able to separate each of those mushrooms to truly know which one,” O’Connor explained in an interview with KelownaNow.
The system also includes features to ensure that the mushrooms are packaged to meet the exacting standards of grocery stores, with a margin of error within plus or minus 1%. Additionally, the robots are designed to trim the stems of the mushrooms, a task that is critical for maintaining the quality and marketability of the product.
4AG Robotics is a rapidly growing company, with a team of around 60 robotics specialists, and plans to expand by adding another 10 to 15 employees this year. The company is unique in that it not only builds the robotic arms but also develops the software and artificial intelligence systems that drive them. This integrated approach allows them to fine-tune both the hardware and software to work seamlessly together, ensuring the robots can efficiently and effectively handle the complexities of mushroom harvesting.
When asked about the potential for expanding the use of their technology to other types of crops, O’Connor indicated that, for now, the company is focused on perfecting its systems for mushrooms. “There’s about $60 billion of mushrooms consumed annually. The majority of that are just regular white and brown mushrooms and that’s what we specialize in,” he stated.
The financial benefits of 4AG Robotics’ technology are also significant. O’Connor noted that farmers could expect to see a return on their investment in shelving and robots within approximately two years. Moreover, the use of robotics can lead to annual savings of 30-40% in harvesting costs, making farms more profitable while also addressing the ongoing labor shortages.
In addition to the economic advantages, O’Connor highlighted the environmental benefits of using robots in agriculture. He pointed out that, in an inflationary environment where costs are rising across the board, robots offer a deflationary alternative by reducing the environmental intensity of farming operations.
The decision to base the company in Salmon Arm was partly due to the strong foundation laid by the company’s founder, Mike Boudreaux, and the advantage of not competing with larger tech companies for talent. O’Connor is optimistic about the future of robotics across various industries, citing recent breakthroughs in AI and machine vision as key enablers of this technology’s proliferation.
