Overview
The MushR project aims to close the gap between the usage of digital tools and modular, adaptable micro-farming and agricultural systems. It introduces four innovative novelties extending the state of the art of gourmet mushroom production, facilitating process automation, more sustainable mushroom provision, increased yield and improved quality of harvested mushrooms. The project proposes a modular and scalable gourmet mushroom growing and harvesting system using an image recognition setup that detects when and which mushrooms are ready to be harvested in combination with an automated mushroom harvesting mechanism for harvesting the mushrooms.
The mushrooms are grown in a sensor-array controlled growing chamber similar to traditional industrial mushroom farms. However, instead of using non-reusable plastic bags, the mushrooms are grown in reusable mushroom pods, which are linked to a digital twin. The growth status and the health of the mushrooms are regularly checked via cameras. The camera input is processed by a YOLO model to detect whether the mushrooms are ready to be harvested or not. The later integrated automated harvesting system will then be activated towards carrying out its task. Finally, the mushrooms are ready for consumption, and the mushroom pods remain in the growing chamber.
