Devices, systems, and methods for providing and operating crop control hardware are provided herein. Some embodiments include an assembly line grow pod having a master controller with a plurality of bays and being communicatively coupled to components of the grow pod, a crop control module within one of the bays such that the crop control module is communicatively coupled to the master controller and the components of the grow pod, and a second control module in one of the bays, which is removably insertable such that it is removable from the bay without altering the assembly line grow pod functionality. The crop control module is programmed to sense a removal of the second control module, determine control signals necessary to maintain an operation of the grow pod and the components of the grow pod, and provide the control signals to the grow pod or the components of the grow pod.

A rotatable rack system for growing plants is disclosed which has a frame, a plurality of mobile trays arrayed around the frame, where each mobile tray contains at least one plant and a chain linking said plurality of mobile trays together, supported by the frame with a drive mechanism configured to drive the chain wherein the frame is configured to support the plurality of mobile trays encircling an enclosed space. Several configurations of the frame that are equally energy efficient are also disclosed, along with a method of growing plants using the system.

A system for germinating seeds according to a germination recipe is disclosed. The system for germinating seeds for a grow pod includes a plurality of germination sub-tanks configured to receive seeds, the plurality of germination sub-tanks receiving different species of seeds, respectively, a master germination tank configured to receive seeds from one or more of the plurality of germination sub-tanks, and a controller. The controller includes one or more processors, one or more memory modules storing germination recipes, and machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the controller to: determine a ratio of the different species of seeds based on a germination recipe, operate the plurality of germination sub-tanks to provide seeds to the master germination tank based on the ratio, and provide the seeds in the master germination tank to one or more carts.

A system for an assembly line grow pod includes a germination hub including a tank, a water source in selective fluid communication with the tank, a pump in selective fluid communication with the tank and the water source, a pod line in selective fluid communication with the germination hub, a seeder assembly in selective fluid communication with the pod line, the seeder assembly including a seeder tank, and a metering device in selective fluid communication with the seeder tank, where the metering device selectively releases seeds from the seeder tank, and a cart positioned below the metering device.

A watering station includes a robotic watering device having a first swing arm having a first end opposite a second end, a rotatable robot arm rotatably coupled to a second end of the first swing arm, a first motor configured to pivot the first swing arm, a second motor configured to rotate the rotatable robot arm with respect to the first swing arm, and pump outlets positioned on the rotatable robot arm, one or more pumps fluidly coupled to the pump outlets positioned on the rotatable robot arm, and a fluid reservoir, where the one or more pumps comprises an inlet and an outlet, and the one or more pumps are fluidly coupled to the fluid reservoir such that when activated the one or more pumps draw fluid from the fluid reservoir and disperse a predetermined amount of fluid out the pump outlets.

A testing station for testing an industrial cart includes a controller, a length of track having a first section, a second section, and a third section. Sensors are communicatively coupled to the controller, where the sensors are configured to at least detect a cart traversing the third section. An electric source electrically coupled to the second section, where the second section provides electric power to a first pair of wheels of a cart when the cart traverses the first section and the second section, and the second section provides electric power to a second pair of wheels when the cart traverses the second section and the third section. An instruction set causes the processor to receive, from a first sensor, signals indicating the cart is traversing the third section and in response to receiving the signals indicating that the cart is traversing the third section, determine the cart is functioning.

A system for normalizing tank pressures includes a controller, a holding tank, a first reservoir, a first valve fluidly coupled to the first reservoir and communicatively coupled to the master controller, a distribution line fluidly coupling the holding tank to the first valve, a first sensor communicatively coupled to the controller, where the first sensor is configured to output signals corresponding to a fluid level within the first reservoir, and an instruction set that causes the processor to: receive signals from the first sensor, determine whether the fluid level within the first fluid reservoir is below a first threshold, generate a first signal to open the first valve when the fluid level is below the first threshold such that fluid from the holding tank fills the first reservoir, and generate a second signal to close the first valve when the fluid level is not below the first threshold.

A method for wetting seeds for an assembly line grow pod includes positioning a first batch of seeds within a tank, directing water from a water source to the tank through a lower portion of the tank, wetting the first batch of seeds within the tank with the water from the water source, initiating germination of the first batch of seeds, draining the water from the tank after a predetermined submersion time, subsequent to draining the water from the tank, directing water from the water source to the tank through the lower portion of the tank, wetting the first batch of seeds within the tank with the water from the water source for the predetermined submersion time, and releasing the first batch of seeds from the tank to a pod line in fluid communication with an assembly line grow pod after a predetermined time.

A generally planar foundation pad is formed of a material such as concrete, or the like, and supports a framework defining a plurality of concentric circular paths stacked in a cylindrical array. A plurality of helical water troughs are supported by the framework within each of the circular paths. Water circulation apparatus is provided to selected intermediate portions of the water trough to produce a continuous circulation of water. The circulating water is combined with various nutrients and the nutrient and water solution is filtered as it is circulated. Each helical water trough is formed of multiple vertically stacked layers of the trough. As a result, a great length of water trough is stacked upon a small footprint of land. Each water trough is filled with a plurality of floating growing trays to form a continuous train of growing trays extending down the entire water trough. As the water and nutrient solution flows down each helical water trough, the floating growing trays are carried down the water trough. As the growing trays move, they are continuously removed from the bottom end of the water trough and added at the top.

One variation of a method for automatically redistributing plants throughout an agricultural facility includes, at a mobile robotic system: delivering a first moduledefining a first array of plant slots at a first density and loaded with a first set of plants in approximately a second growth stagefrom a grow area within a facility to a transfer station within the facility; delivering a second modulelocated within the facility and defining a second array of plant slots at a second density less than the first densityto the transfer station; and following transfer of a first subset of plants from the first array of plant slots in the first module into the second array of plant slots in the second module at the transfer station, delivering the second module to the grow area in the facility.