Daedong’s AI Plant Box brings smart farming to the home, using AI automation and plant monitoring to optimize growth conditions.
Daedong’s AI plant box
Bojan Stojkovski at CES 2025
Smart farming, also known as precision agriculture, leverages advanced technologies like AI, robotics, and IoT to optimize agricultural practices. The approach addresses key challenges such as labor shortages, sustainability, and efficiency, enabling farmers to produce higher yields with fewer resources, aiming to transform traditional agriculture into a more innovative and resilient industry.
A leap towards smart farming at home
South Korea-based farm machinery company Daedong has taken up an innovative approach to precision agriculture, AI, and robotics, and is presently operating in more than 70 countries.
The AI Plant Box is one of Daedong’s latest innovations, designed as a home-farming appliance. It combines AI-driven automated environmental control, integrated plant monitoring, and energy-efficient engineering to optimize growth conditions.
By using its capsule-based system and adjusting environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, airflow, and water supply, the AI Plant Box enhances plant vitality and bioactive compound production.
“The capsules—specifically, the plant capsules—are designed for simplicity. All you need to do is get the capsules, insert the seeds, and place them into the system. Each level is equipped with a camera that identifies the type of plant and automatically adjusts the environment. The system controls temperature, humidity, airflow, and water levels based on the plant’s needs. You only need to add water and a nutrient solution, and the system takes care of the rest,” says Jae-Heon Ham, manager of the farm appliance business team.
The cultivation tray is suitable for a wide range of plants, while the genetically tailored nutrition packages provide vegetables customized to the consumer’s health needs.
Currently in its pre-sale phase, the company is collecting user feedback to refine the product further. Recognizing that the growth cycle may feel slow for some users, Daedong is developing pre-grown seed capsules to reduce waiting times.
Expanding applications of smart farming
The company’s commitment to smart farming extends beyond home appliances, as they are also developing commercial-scale solutions targeted at schools, cafeterias, restaurants, and camps. These larger systems aim to provide sustainable and efficient ways to grow herbs and other plants on a bigger scale.
In South Korea, where labor shortages and an aging farming population are pressing concerns, smart farming offers an enormous potential for tackling these issues. Ham also highlights that these technologies empower farmers to work less while achieving higher yields.
Moreover, the company’s smart farming innovations have already garnered significant attention, including an information award for their advanced technologies.
According to Ham, Daedong also envisions integrating robotics into its smart farming solutions. Mobility robots designed for large-scale farms will handle tasks such as fruit collection, streamlining operations and reducing manual labor.
Although Daedong’s smart farming initiatives are currently focused on South Korea, the company has plans to expand globally, utilizing its presence in North America through KIOTI and particularly targeting markets in regions facing similar challenges of labor shortages.
