Automating a Generation of Urban Farming

Robotics & Automation Society – 6:00PM, Tuesday, 9 June

Automating a Generation of Urban Farming

Presented by
Brad McNamara, CEO of Freight Farms
Jon Friedman, President of Freight Farms
and Kyle Seaman, Director of Farm Technology of Freight Farms

A Technical Meeting of the IEEE Robotics & Automation Society, Boston Chapter

Tuesday, June 9th, 2015
Doors Open: 6:00 P.M.
Presentation: 6:30 P.M.
Unhosted Dinner: 8:00 P.M.

Freight Farms
840 Summer St.
Suite 108
Boston, MA
02210

The growing trend towards sustainable local food production is rooted in the need to feed a growing global population without further depleting natural resources. Urban farming is playing an increasingly important role in global food security, but without the proper infrastructure and industry knowledge, it’s difficult to gain entry into the market. Seeking to eliminate major barriers, Freight Farms has developed a turn-key system, the Leafy Green Machine, that allows anyone to immediately begin growing fresh produce anywhere. These complete hydroponic systems are built inside shipping containers and produce a commercial volume of fresh produce with 95% less water than traditional agriculture. By utilizing automation technology, Freight Farms removes the numerous challenges of local food production and makes urban farming a viable business opportunity.

Brad McNamara

Brad McNamara is the CEO and co-founder of Freight Farms. Brad and his co-founder, Jon, developed their flagship product, the Leafy Green Machine, to allow any business to grow a high-volume of fresh produce in any environment regardless of the climate. He has big expectations for the future, envisioning Freight Farms scattered across the globe making a dramatic impact on how food is produced. Brad has an MBA and Masters in Environmental Science from Clark University.

Jon Friedman

Jon Friedman is the co-founder and President of Freight Farms. With a background in Industrial Design from MassArt, Jon is using design thinking to build a better food system and make fresh food locally accessible anywhere on the globe. Jon is eager to make it easier for the world population to live in balance with the planet. Freight Farms is a way to create immediate impact and a long-term solution to reduce human stress on nature’s limited resources.

Kyle Seaman

Kyle Seaman is Director of Farm Technology, focused on modernizing legacy agriculture systems to work with present day networks and applications. Having grown up on a farm in eastern Canada Kyle is well aware of the challenges facing the next generations of farmers, and focused on bringing these changes through sustainable technology advances.

COMPANY HISTORY

Freight Farms was founded in 2010 by Brad McNamara and Jon Friedman, and grew out of the desire to eliminate the environmental costs of food production and distribution. The company mission is to create a more sustainable and connected food system by providing the tools that enable fresh food production in any environment.

Over the years, Freight Farms has grown into a team of motivated individuals with diverse backgrounds, unified by a collective desire to challenge the status quo while simultaneously inspiring positive change. Freight Farms vision is to build cloud-connected, sustainable, local agricultural systems on a global scale.

The flagship product, the Leafy Green Machine, is a ready to operate, hydroponic farm that is fully assembled inside of a shipping container. This complete farming system allows any business or individual to grow a high-volume of fresh produce in any environment regardless of the climate. The company has a passionate customer base ranging from small businesses, lifestyle farmers and entrepreneurs to hotels/restaurants, corporate campuses and universities. Leafy Green Machines are currently operating across the United States and Canada, creating year-round access to local, fresh produce.

The Freight Farms team continues to focus on creating a better food system through innovation and new technology.

UNHOSTED DINNER

Loco Taqueria & Oyster Bar
412 W Broadway,
Boston, MA 02127

Have more questions? Want to share a drink with the speaker? Want to network with fellow engineers and professionals? Just want to chat about the current goings-on in Robotics, or technology in general? Join us for dinner, where you can talk about Robotics in a more casual setting!

GENERAL INFORMATION

This and other RAS meetings are open to the general public. For more information about the RAS Boston Chapter, contact Chapter Chair Ryan Pettigrew at chair@robotics-boston.org or visit http://www.robotics-boston.org/.

To assist us better plan this meeting, please pre-register at http://www.ieeeboston.org/Register/.