Humanoid farmer? Robots to advance vertical farming in Malaysia

Malaysian agri-tech firm Agroz has partnered with China’s UBTECH Robotics to launch Agroz Robotics, integrating AI-powered humanoid robots into vertical farming operations. The centerpiece of this initiative is UBTECH’s Walker S, an industrial humanoid robot designed to perform labor-intensive and delicate tasks such as seeding, monitoring, harvesting, and crop optimization within Agroz’s controlled environment agriculture (CEA) systems. This integration aims to automate key farming processes, improve productivity, reduce reliance on human labor, and ensure consistent, high-quality crop production through data-driven robotic execution. The collaboration reflects a broader push toward sustainable agriculture and food security in Southeast Asia, supported by the Malaysian government. By combining advanced robotics with Agroz’s proprietary farm operating system, the initiative enables scalable, smart, and self-optimizing farms adaptable to vertical farms, smart greenhouses, and hybrid facilities. UBTECH, established in 2012, brings expertise in humanoid and service robots across various sectors, and this partnership