Shuswap mushroom-picking-robot builder wins $1.5M provincial grant
SALMON ARM, B.C. — A Shuswap company that builds mushroom-picking robots has won a major agritech grant from the B.C. government.
4AG Robotics in Salmon Arm will use its $1.47-million grant to develop a pilot project with Champ’s Mushrooms that will see the company employ “fully-autonomous, AI-enabled mushroom-harvesting robots,” according to a government news release.
The harvesting technology is touted to boost yields by 15 per cent while cutting production costs in half.
Elsewhere in Salmon Arm, Takachar Limited will receive nearly $200,000 for a project with Carbon Pilot and Silvatec Consulting. Takachar “is developing portable, low-cost systems to convert biomass residues into products like biochar and biofuels, enabling rural B.C. communities to manage biomass and generate revenue,” according to the release.
