Agricultural tech provider Solinftec is working with agricultural cooperative GROWMARK in the US to deploy and develop its new automated field robot during the 2022 farming season, “from planting to harvesting”.
Solinftec, headquartered in São Paulo in Brazil and also West Lafayette in Indiana in the US, has been producing ‘ag-tech’ solutions for 15 years, and has deployed solutions into 22 million acres of farmland in North America. Its new farming robot scans and monitors fields for crop health and nutrition, and insects and weeds; it runs an AI algorithm to also monitor the wider “field ecosystem”, and provide insights about farm management.
The robots appear to be autonomous, and also solar powered, to some degree. There is no word on the connectivity technology or setup; enquires have gone to both firms.
Solinftec reckons it can increase yields, and focus and reduce usage of crops, machinery, fertilizers, and pesticides – to also lower environmental impacts. It has been working with Illinois-based GROWMARK for some time; the new deal is for Solinftec’s flagship farming robot. GROWMARK provides agricultural tools for productivity, energy management, logistics support, grain marketing, and risk management; it serves around 400,000 farming customers.
The test project aligns with GROWMARK’s AgValidity trial programme; it will be offered also via GROWMARK’s sales portal, with custom solutions for customers – available “whenever, wherever, and however they choose to do business, from the cab of a tractor to their home offices”. The robot uses Solinftec’s ALICE “AI data science assistant”, billed to “integrate and process data from machinery, people… [and other] external inputs”.
Solinftec said: “As the operating system of the farm, Solinftec connects dots across the field and into the future.” The company wants to launch its robot commercially for the 2023 season.
Lance Ruppert, director of agronomy marketing technology at GROWMARK, said: “We are looking at the future of farming. We have been working with and utilizing Solinftec’s leading agricultural technologies for over three years and are excited to partner on a project with the potential to change farm practices for the better of the industry and environment.”
Daniel Padrão, chief operating officer at Solinftec, said: “We’re taking our robot directly to the fields for practical implications. This cutting-edge technology will help develop agricultural solutions and support sustainable farm practices. We are honored to have such a progressive partner as GROWMARK to move forward with this first launch as we continue to work together to support farmers to seize the opportunities in agriculture.”
