AI, robots, mushroom picking and government grants in Salmon Arm

As proof that AI is everywhere and anywhere at any time, a Salmon Arm-based boutique technology and engineering company is revolutionizing the mushroom-picking world with artificial intelligence.

"Oh yes," said Steven DeBoer with a laugh.

"We're completely dialled into our current product of robotics that pick mushrooms."

DeBoer is the vice-president of finance and business operations at 4AG Robotics in Salmon Arm.

While the company invented its version of mushroom-picking robots using AI four years ago, it's just now at what DeBoer calls the "nexus of research and development and commercialization."

And everyone is taking notice -- mushroom farms, the tech realm, the public and government.

In fact, 4AG has just landed two lucrative government grants that will help take the company to the next level.

A $1.47 million grant from the BC Centre for Agritech Innovation to further harness AI and robotics to improve the profitability and stability of BC-based mushroom businesses.

In particular, 4AG will work on a project with Champ's Mushrooms of Aldergrove to pilot the use of fully autonomous, AI-enabled mushroom-picking robots that cut production costs in half and boost yields by 15%.

"As an ecosystem, we can build global leading companies here in British Columbia while helping increase the quality and quantity of fresh cultivated food in the province," said 4AG CEO Sean O'Connor.

"We are excited to be one of the projects selected."

In all, 19 innovators in BC are sharing in $15 million of cash and support from the BC Centre for Agritech Innovation.

Other companies getting funding include one that extends the shelf life of cranberries, improve greenhouse efficiencies, help Indigenous peoples get into foodie careers, automate cow manure processing for fertilizer and turn waste into biofuels.

4AG is also receiving $2.5 million from Pacific Economic Development Canada over three years.

"It will help us scale up production robots that use AI, demonstrate those robots to mushroom farmers and land customers worldwide," said DeBoer.

While 4Ag has robotics right in its name, the type of robots it develops don't look like humans at all.

They are more like a medal forearm and upper arm with superhuman rotation that is mounted to a railing to zip along and pick mushrooms using suction technology, deliver them to the collection point and trim them as well.

Commercial mushroom farms are indoors and grow the vegetable on racks, so AI-powered robots are an incredibly efficient way to harvest the crop.

For the most part, robotic picking is completely automated with a human to oversee several operations.

Currently, 4AG has 13 of its robots at work at four site of two vast mushroom farms -- one in Abbotsford and one in Australia.

4AG is lining up at least a half dozen more customers who might buy up to $200 million worth of robots over the next five years.

"There's tremendous market demand," said DeBoer.

"Really, there's almost unlimited growth opportunities."

That means that 4AG is likely to add to its 72 engineers, software developers, designers and support staff in Salmon Arm.

"Being based in Salmon Arm definitely works in our favour," said DeBoer.

DeBoer is from BC, so he knew of Salmon Arm before he moved to the small city, population: 20,000.

However, one-third of 4AG's current workforce is from outside BC and another one-third from outside Canada,who initially had never heard of Salmon Arm.

"But when they find out what a cool company we are in a small, innovative town, with good schools, a five-minute commute to work and an amazing outdoor lifestyle, they're hooked," said DeBoer.