Millions of government funding is going to AI mushroom-picking robots, a technology that turns farm waste into fuel and vertical gardens in the Thompson-Okanagan region.
The Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation and Pacific Economic Development Canada are providing $15.5 million for tech companies working on agriculture projects in B.C., and $2.5 million of it is going to two companies in Salmon Arm, one company in Kelowna and Thompson Rivers University, according to a press release.
"Our agriculture and agritech sector have so much potential, and we want to support them to explore their potential to the fullest. From drone training workshops to robotic mushroom pickers and plant tissue culturing, it's incredible to see so many amazing projects from B.C. companies," Vernon-Lumby MLA Harwinder Sandhu said in the release.
4AG Robotics in Salmon Arm is getting $1.47 million for autonomous, AI-enabled mushroom harvesting robots. The robots are a project with Champ's Mushroom farm. The robots reportedly boost yields by 15 percent and cut production costs in half.
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