Businesses and homes across the world use security cameras to monitor activity inside and outside of buildings. The footage that is recorded is used for reference or data collection. But why not take it to another level? The LUNA camera by iUNU is the exact answer to that question. The next level is greenhouses. Plants are the muses.
iUNU is a Seattle-based industrial computer vision company that was founded in 2013. Their main purpose was to connect plants with growers and growers with its facilities to create a better environment for the aforementioned plants. The solution they created was LUNA, an artificially intelligent camera that captures and monitors the growth and life of a plant. Greenhouses, like farms, house thousands of plants and crops for consumer consumption, resulting in hours upon hours of careful and meticulous human observation. Still, more than 20% of vegetables and fruits go to waste every harvest due to inability to treat pest and disease problems quickly enough. LUNA makes all of this easier.
LUNA provides computer vision and inventory management to greenhouses everywhere. The camera system treads on a railway directly above the plants, learning their patterns and watching out for the most minute changes in a plant’s growth cycle. Highly-detailed pictures and 3D models of each plant are created and sent right to the grower’s computer or tablet device. This gives growers precise and accurate data on their produce, enabling proper plant management and higher harvest yields.
Following nearly three years of testing and development, LUNA has raised $6 million from investors. Initialized Capital, Fuel Capital, Liquid 2 Ventures, and 2nd Avenue Partners are among the backers who want bring industrialized management to better the quality of greenhouse growth. Not only does LUNA benefit the plants and consumers, but the growers who will have quicker access to information, with less walking and a lower chance of losing their hard-earned growth.
Since each greenhouse is different and equipped with different plants, LUNA takes the time to learn and remember the different patterns and life cycles of each individual and unique plant the moment it is installed. LUNA provides historical plant records for reference and offers live, real-time information from the cameras sensors. The plant research grade data that is collected is based off and similar to that of face recognition – but for plants.
LUNA ensures that growers will be able to meet and maintain the highest standards in plant growth. The sensors recognize leaf color change, growth anomalies, growth curves, and when the plant is ready to be harvested. The program then notifies the respective greenhouse team members for quick and simple intervention.
The camera program connects from any internet source, which in turn provides 24/7 active monitoring of the greenhouse. Atmospheric conditions are sent to customized alerts so that the grower will know what is going on in the greenhouse at all times. LUNA also offers the power to assign different teams with different tasks, place flags on individual plants that need attention, and report labor activities for analysis. iUNU’s AI platform provides plant and workflow management tools, so that each greenhouse can be working to its fullest potential.
Eventually, once LUNA learns the ins and outs of a particular greenhouse, plant results can be predicted and analyzed before the plant is ready to be harvested. This provides the grower with enough time to prepare for any bumps along the way to ensure that highest quality outcome. This also prevents the chance of losing the crop or wasting time and resources on incurable plants.
LUNA provides a more efficient and focused greenhouse environment. The platform learns and grows with the growers and their plants, as well as providing helpful management tools and adaptability to quickly and efficiently run a greenhouse.
CEO of iUNU Adam Greenberg hopes to one day be able to add different kinds of attachments to the railway track cameras, such as sprays for pest killers or to water the plants. The company’s intention for the LUNA camera system is not to replace the farmer or greenhouse worker, but to be their best friend. LUNA will provide an extra helping hand to make life for growers easier.
Check out iUNU’s LUNA vision at their website: https://lunapowered.com/why-luna-by-iunu/
