Field robotics · Kelowna, BC
Ground-level data for orchards and vineyards.
Iron Leaf Robotics builds a sensor cart that records every row it passes, so growers can find gopher damage, ground issues and canopy problems sooner, and know exactly where they are.
The problem
Most field problems are found on foot, and found late.
Scouting a block means walking it. That takes time growers don't have in season, and what gets noticed depends on who walked it and when.
Found late
Gopher mounds and ground damage are easy to miss until the trees or vines above them are already affected.
Hard to find again
A problem spotted mid-row is rarely tied to a precise location, so follow-up means walking the row again.
Hard to compare
Without a consistent record, it's difficult to tell whether a block is getting better or worse over a season.
The platform
A sensor cart that records the whole row.
An operator walks the cart down the row. It captures both sides of the ground and canopy, and every measurement is stamped with when and where it was taken.
Navigation, colour and near-infrared cameras
Continuous video for coverage, plus high-resolution colour and NIR bursts at each stop.
Lidar, GPS and IMU
Shape and location data so each finding maps back to a specific spot in the block.
One clock for every sensor
All imagery is timestamped, so cameras, lidar and position line up after the fact.
Runs from a phone
A web-based operator app on the cart's network, with LTE for getting data out of the field.
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Walk the row
The operator pushes the cart through the block at walking pace.
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Capture
Cameras, lidar and position data record continuously, with detail shots at each stop.
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Review
Candidate findings, like gopher mounds, are confirmed or rejected by a person before they count.
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Report
Confirmed findings go back to the grower by row and location.
Evidence
What's built, what's in testing, and what we don't claim yet.
A demo isn't proof. We separate what works today from what we're still validating in the field.
- Aluminum sensor cart with 48 V power system
- Multi-camera, lidar, GPS and IMU capture
- Web-based operator app
- Gopher mound review workflow
- Data collection pilots on Okanagan orchards and vineyards, fall 2026
- Gopher mound detection on real rows
- Detection accuracy
- Time or cost saved per block
We'll publish these once they come from validated field data.
Roadmap
From recording rows to working them.
The cart's frame and interfaces are built so new capabilities bolt on without redesigning what already works.
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Field pilots
Data collection with Okanagan growers and gopher mound review.
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Ground and canopy scanning
Detecting ground issues and scanning canopy condition from the same pass.
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Soil probe and leaf scanner
Direct measurements from the soil and leaves, not just images.
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Autonomy
The same platform taking on more of the work itself.
About
Built in the Okanagan, for the Okanagan first.
Iron Leaf Robotics was founded in Kelowna by Ryan Collins, an electrical and controls EIT with a background in industrial robotics, automation and aerospace engineering.
We design and build the cart in-house, and test it on local orchards and vineyards. That keeps iteration fast and keeps the work tied to problems growers actually have.
Our approach is to understand why the established answer exists before replacing it, and to only count what the field data supports.
Pilot program
Run a pilot on your rows.
We're looking for orchards and vineyards in the Okanagan to collect data with this season.