Located in large high-tech sustainable agricultural facilities in northern California and Texas, the Silicon Valley-based startup Iron Ox relies heavily on robots to help with the workload. The company's latest robot is called Grover and can lift more than 1,000 pounds (454 kilograms).

Not to be confused with NASA's polar exploration robot of the same name, Grover was designed in-house by Iron Ox's team of engineers.

The squat wheel device has a unique type of rocker arm suspension, and a differential drive system in which steering is managed by selectively driving a single wheel. It automatically bypasses the greenhouse facility through multiple LiDAR scanners and upward and forward cameras.

The camera also allows Grover to recognize a 1,000-pound, 6 x 6-foot (1.8 m) hydroponic irrigation module in which various fruits and vegetables are grown. When the robot finds a target module supported by four legs, it will continue to accurately position itself below, and then use an electric lifting system to lift the module completely off the ground.

Grover then transports the module to the robotic scanning room for automatic inspection. If needed, the robot can then take it to other sites for additional watering, nutritional supplements, or harvesting.

Iron Ox said that the implementation of efficient robots should allow companies to use less water, energy and land. The technology should also allow the company to respond quickly to market demand, because different crops can be harvested quickly-day or night, as needed.