It's the Dutch horti dream to have a greenhouse that is fully autonomous, with robots moving around checking on plants and doing all the hard work while a handful of growers casually walks in every now and then to check that everything is going as intended. That future may not be as far as it seems, as some robots are already making their way into horti operations, and cannabis no less. If you add AI on top of that, you get solutions like Budscout, a system specifically designed for cannabis growers to make informed decisions on how to improve their cultivation processes. "It scans every plant, every hour, every day, and that information is full of environmental details as well as images that are also outside of the spectrum of human sight. All that data goes back into the cloud, and gives growers insights on how to take action on their grow," explains Toby Velte from Budscout. "This system guides cultivation, water loads, nutrient management – everything," Toby continues. "If something needs attention, the grower knows right away. It's like having a scout embedded in your canopy, constantly reporting back with intel."
Cannabis-first tech
Budscout is built with cannabis cultivation in mind, not retrofitted from some other horti tech. The system has two main components: the robot that physically scans the canopy, and the AI platform that turns that data into actionable insights. The robot rides on a rail above the plants. The robot is about 1.1 meters long, and quietly goes about its business without needing to be touched. "You turn it on once, and from then on everything is controlled via the interface," Toby says. "It's fully autonomous – charges itself, scans by itself, and uploads data straight to the cloud."
And it scans a lot. Equipped with four 16-megapixel cameras, the robot gathers high-resolution images of every plant, every hour. These images are paired with multispectral data, infrared readings, leaf temperature, air temperature, humidity, and CO₂ levels at the plant level. All of this is stitched together into a detailed map of plant health that can detect issues long before human eyes would. "If you have a clogged pipe and nutrients aren't reaching a plant, the AI will see signs of stress before you even know there's a problem," Toby explains. "We've seen yield improvements of up to 28% by catching and solving those issues earlier."
Data for the people
Budscout doesn't just throw growers a bunch of numbers and wish them luck. The AI is trained for each grower's specific cultivars and environment. "It doesn't require massive amounts of preexisting data," Toby says. "As soon as you install it, we begin collecting data and training a model tailored to your setup. Within the same day, you can start seeing results, we're talking 20–28% yield improvement."
Unsurprisingly, the system is especially appreciated by larger operators and MSOs, who value consistency, repeatability, and the ability to scale. "They're already data-forward, and Budscout gives them the kind of environmental granularity that makes decision-making easier," Toby says. "Plus, let's be honest – everyone's struggling to find labor. This helps make the best use of the team you do have."
The insights aren't just about fixing problems, either. Savvy growers use the data to optimize plant architecture, topping, crop steering, and even team performance. "Budscout uses what we call 'a green score': a metric that shows how much of the canopy is actually green and intercepting light, versus hitting the floor. That helps growers fine-tune their spacing and lighting strategies," he says.
Subscription, not sticker shock
Budscout isn't sold as a high-cost piece of hardware. Instead, the model is basically subscription-based, because it is priced according to the square meters of canopy under management. "You don't buy the robot – we provide the whole system, and you just pay for the canopy we cover. That makes it low-risk for growers," says Toby. "Start with one room, see the results, and scale up from there."
This approach has also opened up future possibilities. "Since we're already above the canopy every day, people have asked if we could add RFID scanners or even apply inputs like nutrients or biocontrols," Toby says. "We're exploring all of that. We're also looking at integrating with other systems in the grow, so if our sensors detect that plants aren't absorbing light efficiently, you can automatically dim the lights and save energy."
Keeping compliant
With full traceability down to the bud, Budscout could also help on the compliance front. "We're there until harvest, collecting everything," Toby says. "It wouldn't be a stretch to link with tracking systems to automatically log plant movements or interventions." As automation and AI keep gaining ground in cannabis, systems like Budscout may become the norm. "It's about taking the guesswork out of growing," Toby concludes.
For more information:
Budscout
www.budscout.ai