Diversification is the watchword. Especially in Japan. Here the industrial giants produce everything and a brand can work for a piano as well as a motorcycle. One of them, Toshiba, has decided to go one step further. And so, in addition to nuclear reactors, televisions and other electronic material, the company has decided to launch itself into the fruit and vegetable market.
In reality, notes the French newspaper Le Figaro, Toshiba has a historical penchant for the fruits of the earth. A few years ago, he had developed an optical reading system for supermarket checkouts. The device was capable of recognizing fruit and vegetables based on shape and color: an electronic eye that replaced the barcode.
This time Toshiba intends to go directly into agriculture. In fact, the project consists in growing fruit and vegetables without pesticides or other chemical substances in a closed and aseptic plant managed by an electronic system capable of replacing man's work.
The factory in question, a space of 2 square meters, is located near Tokyo. Here the Japanese group has installed a fluorescent lighting system optimized for plant growth. The air conditioning system keeps not only the temperature, but also the degree of humidity constant. Finally, the plants are supervised and sterilized before packing by an ultra-sophisticated electronic system.
"By minimizing contact with products, shelf life can be considerably increased”, specifies Toshiba, which with this method will produce the equivalent of 3 million salads a year to supply supermarkets and restaurants.
But Toshiba is not the first Japanese giant to launch itself into the sector. The first steps have already been taken by Panasonic and Fujitsu. All hyper-technological companies (apparently) stolen from agriculture. Because the future, perhaps, is not made only of silicon, but also of sprouts. The problem is understanding whether it is not only the environment that will be aseptic, but also the flavour.
