Technology and Artificial Intelligence in agricultural automation

Short summary An Italian company has developed a system,on the market,to make any greenhouse or open field cultivation technological.A Long Range Wide Area Network transmission protocol, allows to cover long distances with low energy consumption, the sensors transmit data to the company's gateways, located up to ten kilometers away. In order to easily control isolated crop alerts are sent when sensors reach the threshold, the system includes an app. A commercial agreement with technical assistance is sought.

Full description An Italian company was created a few years ago in the agritech sector with the aim of solving a specific problem related to the automation of greenhouses using remotely activated mechanisms. This idea arises from the observation of a real need: although automation systems were already installed in a greenhouse, in order to carry out some crucial operations, it was necessary to be on site. Furthermore, most of the solutions available on the market require not only investments in equipment and installation, but also a refurbishment of the greenhouse which would be completely replaced by a greenhouse with more modern standards and equipment (motors, antifreeze pump, sensors, etc. irrigation system) already integrated. The solution proposed by the company consists of a system that integrates sensors and actuators that are set and controlled through an app made available to the agricultural entrepreneur. The system is based on the use of a Long Range Wide Area Network - LoRaWAN, which is a long range data transmission protocol that makes possible a very low energy consumption data transmission. It includes an ad hoc electronic board for the optimization of sensors and actuators in the greenhouse and does not require internet coverage or electricity near the farm. Thanks to these features it is possible to control by remote a crop up to 10 kilometers away The farmer can operate using the app that is full responsive, installable and usable in the same way on all devices, and can be fully integrated with third-party software. The app allows to monitor the sensor values, view the history, set "scenes" (automations) and receive push notifications and alerts on the achievement of the previously set thresholds. This solution, in addition to bringing an important innovation in the agricultural sector, replaces the installation of a control unit. It will be necessary that the actuators with LoRaWAN protocol integrated in the proposed system are installed and connected to the devices to be operated. The company would like to grow at international level increasing its presence in a wider market and for this reason It is looking for partnerships under a commercial agreement with technical assistance. Preferred partner are agronomists, assosciations in the field of agriculture, installers for greenhouses and resellers of agricolture equipment.

Advantages and innovations The offered system has many advantages and innovative aspects: - The technology development in wireless sensor network (WSN) offers a sustainable solution towards precision agriculture in greenhouses - WSN makes use of Low-Power Wide-Area Networks (LPWANs), a wireless technology to transmit data over long distances with minimal power consumption - Thanks to the creation of 'scenes' (automatisms), the farmer can partially or fully automate every part of the cultivation: the opening and closing of ridges and doors, the start of the fans, of a fertigation or other electronic appliances. - The farmer can receive notifications on a smartphone or a PC whenever a given sensor reaches the preset threshold. - Thanks to the flexibility of the system, the simplicity of integration and the low installation costs, it allows to act in a targeted way on specific areas of the cultivated environment. - The system allows agricultural enterprises to optimize energy consumption, to limit water consumption by rationalizing the nutrition of their crops and the use of pesticides reducing the impact of agriculture on the environment, - The proprietary software, algorithm and artificial intelligence, adopted for the management of sensors and actuators, directly connected to the LoRaWAN network, allow the acquisition of sensor data before and after the actions performed by the actuators. Artificial intelligence and machine learning will help farmers on improving quality and quantity of productions and prevent crop disease.
Contact / source: NEXT EEN Widgets (europa.eu)