NTT DOCOMO launches an expansion for its "Farm Assist" service: automatic watering of tomatoes through the use of AI

On August 10, NTT DOCOMO began offering the "Irrigation Auto" service, where an artificial intelligence (AI) system is used to determine the optimal timing of watering tomatoes, based on which it automatically waters them, as an optional service of the farming support platform "Farm Assist" provided by NTT DOCOMO. They will begin offering it in the Shizuoka prefecture and will gradually expand the coverage area in the future.

Irrigation Auto is a service that collects various data, such as temperature and illumination, on the cloud from sensors installed in the greenhouse. AI determines the optimum watering timing based on the collected data, and automatically waters the plants via the irrigation tube. As a result, a high-quality tomato cultivation is achieved. The service price (including tax) includes the 5,500 yen per month for the company's "Farm Assist" usage license, and 11,000 yen per month for the AI irrigation option, "Irrigation Auto." The environmental sensors used in "Irrigation Auto", communication equipment, etc. cost 3.85 million yen (in the case of a single house). A "Farm Assist" contract is required to use this service additional service.

For high-quality tomato cultivation, it is vital to water the tomatoes at the optimal time. Previously, abundant cultivation experience and skillful techniques were required to achieve this. DOCOMO's new service automates the watering technology owned by Happy Quality, which was developed by an agri-tech venture in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, through the addition of AI. The service facilitates the growth of high-quality tomatoes without any experience or skill. Happy Quality also aims to maintain stable profits for farmers by guaranteeing the purchase of all tomatoes cultivated using the new technology. Through the use of this service, farmers can reduce food loss and food waste through stable farming without incurring inventory risks.

The service also installs IoT devices, such as temperature and humidity sensors, inside the greenhouse. The information obtained from these sensors is transmitted to the AI system on the cloud via the Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) communication standard "ZETA" that enables long-distance communication with low power consumption. The transmitted information is encrypted by a secure key exchange technology for IoT devices developed by NTT Laboratories. This technology prevents information theft and unauthorized operation of control devices by a third party. The service has already been launched by Sun Farm Nakayama (Fukuroi City, Shizuoka Prefecture), which is actively introducing advanced farming methods and agricultural ICT, and has begun cultivating high-quality tomatoes.