New Technology That Could be a Game-Changer

Jennifer Polanz

One takeaway from Indoor Ag-Con back in February that we haven’t written about yet is the growing interest in components that aren’t proprietary. In other words, technology that easily integrates with other software or hardware systems. I heard it in sessions and on the show floor, and one company showing technology that already does that is Rexroth, a Bosch company.

The folks in that booth were showing ctrlX Core controller, and one of the key reasons I haven’t put this out there yet is I didn’t 100% understand it and wanted to verify what I thought I understood from our visit with them. Basically, ctrlX Core is a hardware controller run on a Linux-based operating system, ctrlX OS. It utilizes a VPN for a secure, encrypted Internet connection, and is essentially buildable collaborative technology, allowing integration with other open source tech via apps available through partnerships with other companies. Or, you can create your own apps to integrate with the system. The control system can be used for anything from lighting and nutrients to water purification and climate control, among other uses. The beauty of this is being able to scale up easily, adding new technology to the system as needed.

“It’s essentially future proof,” said Mike Vandemortel, senior sales engineer at Rexroth. “You don’t need to spend money and be obsolete.”

Considering this is from a Bosch company, it’s no surprise this technology is not designed just for the horticulture industry, it has applications for a lot of heavily automated industries. But they have launched their first system in a Canadian herb grower.

I’ve exhausted what I know and understand about the technology, but visit the ctrlX website to learn more.