Waterloo-based Grobo is shipping its first units of Grobo One, a hydroponic grow box that automates the process of growing small crops of food and weed, on 4/20. Grobo claims it’s the first company in this space to begin delivering to customers.
Grobo One is a hydroponic system controlled through an app. Once users input information about their plant into the app, Grobo One will monitor, water, and give proper nutrients to the plant. Other features include ensuring that plants are kept in the right temperature, switching from transparent to opaque to give plants the right amount of light, and filtering away smells produced by organic matter. If users are away from home, they can also access real-time data through a mobile device to track their plant’s growth.
“Since states and countries have started moving towards legalization, the cannabis industry has seen a number of attempts at tackling IoT home growing,” said Bjorn Dawson, the co-founder and CEO of Grobo. “We have been working on Grobo since 2014 and are proud to have accomplished what we set out to do. Our technology is ready for market, and we are so excited to hear about our first customers’ home growing experience.”
Grobo, which is an alumni of the HAX accelerator and Velocity incubator, launched a pre-order campaign for its home-growing tech in August 2016. Today, the company has opened its second, limited reservation campaign for US and Canadian customers to purchase Grobo One. Units cost US $1,599 if paid in one installment, or $1,699 USD with a $300 deposit.
Grobo will be shipping its units from April through to fall 2017.
