As the global population nears 8.5 billion and traditional soil-based farming faces unprecedented climate volatility, a new “robotic” solution is emerging from the labs of the MRC Group.
Their flagship system, Unstopfarm, has released its 2026 technical catalogue, signalling a definitive shift from human-led greenhouse management to fully autonomous, AI-driven indoor cultivation.
Unlike traditional vertical farms that rely on manual labour for seeding, transplanting, and harvesting, the 2026 Unstopfarm system is built on a Closed-Loop Robotic Automation framework.
According to the new catalogue, the system utilises a proprietary modular robotic arm and a multi-tiered rack system that manages the entire lifecycle of a plant without human intervention.
The system’s core promise is “year-round predictability”, effectively decoupling food production from the external environment, whether in the middle of a desert or a high-rise urban centre.
The ‘CR’ (clinical/commercial release) version of the Unstopfarm system features several breakthrough technologies, including AI-driven growth recipes (using deep learning) that monitor plants’ “biometric” signals.
If a leaf shows early signs of stress or nutrient deficiency, the AI adjusts the light spectrum and nutrient mix in real time; modular scalability (the 2026 catalogue highlights a ‘Plug-and-Play’ architecture).
Businesses can start with a single ‘Unstop-Module’, about 20sqm, and scale horizontally or vertically to cover thousands of square meters; and the IoT Ecosystem (every module is connected to the MRC Cloud, allowing farm owners to monitor yields, water consumption, which is reduced by 95% compared to traditional farming, and robotic health via a smartphone app.
The release of the new catalogue coincides with Unstopfarm’s 2025/2026 expansion strategy.
Following the Turkey-Spain Eureka R&D call, Unstopfarm has secured strategic partnerships to pilot the system in Southern Europe, specifically targeting the high-value “herbal and medicinal” plant market.
“We are not just selling a greenhouse; we are selling an infrastructure that never stops,” said Muti Rumelli, founder of MRC Group. “The 2026 catalogue reflects our transition from a startup phase to a global industrial standard for indoor food security.”
In emerging markets, particularly in North Africa and the Middle East, Unstopfarm is being positioned as a solution for ‘Food Sovereignty’.
By localising production in urban centres, the system eliminates the “last-mile” logistics costs and carbon emissions associated with transporting fresh produce.
Analysts at PwC (referenced in recent economic outlooks) suggest that autonomous systems like Unstopfarm could reduce operating costs for indoor farms by up to 40% by 2027, primarily through the elimination of specialised manual labour and reduced crop waste.
