Juicy tomatoes, sweet strawberries, fresh lettuce and a meaty, mushroom-based protein can all be grown in a two-cubic-metre box, a system called CANGrow, which has just won its creators a $380,000 grand prize in a national space food contest.
But the judges first really wanted to see that the technology could have an impact on earth, he added. Inside CANGrow’s separate drawers are environments optimized for growing different crops – tomatoes, strawberries and lettuce in the current version. An array of sensors monitor the plants, and alert the operator of any tasks that need to be done.
Simple-to-run system provides nutrition as well as psychological benefits, creator says Also important to CANGrow are its relatively simple inputs.