In this episode, we recap our favorite episodes from 2024!

2024 Recap & 2nd Annual Saucies!

Agriculture must feed 10 billion people by 2050 while cutting emissions and waste. Integrated photonics offers a solution with advanced sensors for efficient, high-yield farming.

Integrated Photonics for AgriFood: A Roadmap for Sustainable Transformation

In order to decarbonize the transport sector, heavy commercial vehicles and non-road mobile work machines are increasingly coming to the fore. Vehicle and engine manufacturers, suppliers and science have therefore joined forces in the "PoWer" project to comprehensively investigate the cross-application use of hydrogen engine drive train concepts for construction and agricultural applications. The automotive supplier MAHLE is leading the project, in which the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is involved with three institutes. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection is funding PoWer for three years with around 5 million euros, and the project is supported by TÜV Rheinland.Due to their properties such as high efficiency, robustness and low raw emissions, hydrogen engines offer many advantages that make them particularly suitable for applications in construction and agricultural machinery. It is also possible to convert conventional combustion engines of, for example, excavators, combine harvesters or conveyor vehicles to hydrogen engines. In order to be able to implement the technology in the future, three KIT institutes are investigating hydrogen combustion in engines, suitable exhaust gas catalysts and the behavior of materials under hydrogen in the PoWer project.<h2>Efficient use of hydrogen in complex engines</h2>"Due to the low ignition limit and the wide flammability limits of hydrogen, unwanted self-ignition can occur. This must be avoided at all costs in order not to risk engine damage," says Dr. Uwe Wagner from the Institute for Piston Machines (IFKM) at KIT about the challenges. The researchers at the IFKM are therefore investigating how hydrogen-based fuel can be used most efficiently and safely in engines of construction and agricultural machinery - whether with intake manifold or direct injection. "In addition, the geometry of the engine and lubricating oil inputs into the combustion chamber play a decisive role in ensuring smooth combustion," says Wagner. In order to test and optimize various injection strategies and engine parameters, the researchers use a single-cylinder research unit and a multi-cylinder engine.<h2>Environmentally friendly energy source for off-road applications</h2>"In order to comply with current and future exhaust gas limits, it is necessary to provide efficient exhaust gas catalysts in addition to low-emission engine operation," explains Dr. Patrick Lott from the Institute of Technical Chemistry and Polymer Chemistry (ITCP) at KIT. "The specific operating conditions of hydrogen engines are sometimes challenging for the catalysts," says Lott. The ITCP team is therefore investigating how existing catalyst systems behave in interaction with hydrogen engines. One of the aims is to improve their durability and efficiency in order to adapt them to the new operating conditions. At the same time, the researchers are developing innovative concepts for exhaust gas aftertreatment so that hydrogen can be used as an environmentally friendly energy source in off-road applications.<h2>Impact of Hydrogen on Materials</h2>"Contact with hydrogen can significantly reduce the strength and deformability of metallic materials," explains Dr. Stefan Guth from the Institute of Applied Materials - Materials Science (IAM-WK) at KIT. In the project, the scientists at the IAM-WK are therefore investigating how hydrogen affects typical materials used in combustion engine components. To do this, they are conducting mechanical material tests under the influence of hydrogen, in particular under the cyclical loads typical of engines. A central goal of the research group is to develop and establish methods for evaluating the influence of hydrogen on material strength. "Ultimately, we want to give our industrial partners recommendations for the safe and efficient use of the materials," says Guth.<h2>About the PoWer project</h2>Under the leadership of MAHLE, in addition to KIT, DEUTZ AG, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Purem GmbH, Claas KGaA mbH, the Technical University of Braunschweig, Liebherr GmbH, Nagel Maschinen- und Werkzeugfabrik GmbH, Umicore SA, NGK Europe GmbH and Castrol Limited are also involved. (ase)

Hydrogen engines for the future: In the PoWer project, researchers are developing new drive concepts for construction and agricultural applications (Photo: Magali Hauser KIT)

Vehicle and engine manufacturers, suppliers and science have joined forces in the "PoWer" project to comprehensively investigate the cross-application use of hydrogen engine drive train concepts for construction and agricultural applications.

Mobility: Hydrogen engine for off-road applications

An autonomous robot – a base on wheels fitted with computer vision technology that snaps images of grapevines in near real-time – rolls down a long row of plants in a vineyard at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva, New York.The <a href="https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2022/11/autonomous-robots-help-modernize-grape-wine-industry" target="_blank">Cornell-developed “PhytoPatholoBot”</a> detects spectral signatures of three kinds of devastating grape diseases – powdery mildew, downy mildew and grapevine leafroll virus – leading to early management of pathogens without needing farmworkers to spot them. Ultimately, data collected by such robots will help to ground-truth NASA satellite data that could one day detect plant diseases from space.This was one of many research projects presented at a technology demonstration on Aug. 20, part of a three-day “Space for Ag Tour” by NASA leaders to better understand the remote sensing needs of Cornell AgriTech researchers, specialty crop growers and local stakeholders. NASA leadership visited Cornell’s main campus, Cornell AgriTech, sites in Niagara county and the Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Lab in Portland, New York.The tour was designed to foster two-way dialogue with growers and stakeholders to improve NASA Earth Science’s Earth-observing satellites and instruments for specialty crop agriculture and viticulture and foster a broader conversation about how to effectively translate research into practice.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1724648875297-0822_nasa1_0.jpg" style="width: 100%px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Yu Jiang poses with the PhytoPatholoBotas and UV light robot as part of the “Space for Ag Tour” at the Cornell Agritech campus. Ryan Young/Cornell University“My hope is that by having this Space for Ag Tour here, by showing them New York viticulture as well as what we have to offer here at Cornell, it can help grow the specialty crop footprint within NASA as well as their footprint in pest and disease research,” said&nbsp;<a href="https://cals.cornell.edu/kaitlin-gold" target="_blank">Katie Gold</a>, the event’s main organizer and an assistant professor and the Susan Ekert Lynch Faculty Fellow in the Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section of the School of Integrative Plant Science (SIPS) at Cornell AgriTech, which is in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.&nbsp;“I think there’s amazing potential for the satellite data that’s being collected both now and in the future with the eventual launch of the Surface Biology and Geology satellite to be applied to specialty crops,” said Gold, who is an expert on ground-based and remote plant disease sensing and applied grape pathology. The meetings were intended to raise awareness among NASA leaders and scientists of the unique challenges facing specialty crops, including pests and diseases, so they can make those connections in their own research and applications, she said. &nbsp;“For NASA leadership, it’s an opportunity as they think long-term about observational needs and priorities that helps them make the case for the observations that are necessary, from a scientific perspective, to make an impact on the different concerns that farmers have,” said Alyssa Whitcraft, a research professor in the Department of Geographical Sciences at the University of Maryland, whose work focuses on satellite remote sensing of agriculture. Whitcraft is the founding executive director of NASA Acres and co-founding deputy director of NASA Harvest, respectively the U.S. and international NASA consortia on food security and agriculture.&nbsp;Gold is the institutional lead for&nbsp;<a href="https://cals.cornell.edu/news/2023/05/bringing-nasa-technology-down-earth-agriculture" target="_blank">NASA Acres at Cornell</a>.As part of the demonstrations,&nbsp;<a href="https://cals.cornell.edu/yun-yang" target="_blank">Yun Yang</a>, assistant professor in SIPS’ Soil and Crop Sciences Section at Cornell AgriTech, described her NASA Acres-funded research to monitor plant water use using remote sensing, and understanding the impacts of agricultural practices on water resource sustainability.One of Yang’s research projects seeks to estimate water loss to evaporation and transpiration in California vineyards. Vineyard managers want to know how much and when to irrigate in spring based on groundwater depletion, which is a global issue, especially in California.&nbsp;Her team built an instrument to better monitor water fluxes on the ground, which provides validation for NASA Landsat satellite data that can be used to estimate water loss to evapotranspiration when farmers irrigate. By knowing how much water is used, based on a simple water balance, they can tell how much water is needed. Yang’s team has been developing a dashboard for users. “With this dashboard, we can really hand the technology we have to the growers,” Yang said. “And when they are in the field, we can easily check the information and help them manage irrigation.” &nbsp; &nbsp;Applied roboticist <a href="https://cals.cornell.edu/yu-jiang" target="_blank">Yu Jiang</a>, assistant professor in SIPS’ Horticulture Section at Cornell AgriTech, demonstrated the PhytoPatholoBot that he and doctoral student Ertai Liu developed with Gold with funding from NASA Acres and U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture VitisGen3.&nbsp;The PhytoPatholoBot eliminates background noise from cloud cover or sunlight to provide a constant, high-quality image and has autonomous navigation using GPS. The bot provides a readout per row of vines with red areas denoting higher infection and white areas showing lower infection, and coupled with AI, allows for near real-time inferences of disease that growers may use to focus their treatment efforts on plants that need it most.“We can scan and scale all the field, we are also generating the results that are ready to be realized by the growers, and hopefully, while working together to integrate this data stream back to NASA to see if we can train remote sensing models and make a bigger impact for small grower stakeholders,” Jiang said. Additionally, researchers can use data from the robots to train NASA airborne sensing better than humans, Gold said.&nbsp;The hope is to use robots to automate data collection, to make it possible to gather measurements for millions of acres.&nbsp;Following Jiang,&nbsp;<a href="https://cals.cornell.edu/sara-emery" target="_blank">Sarah Emery</a>, assistant professor of entomology at Cornell AgriTech, presented her work to develop risk maps for spotted lanternfly infestations, a growing threat to grape and other growers in New York.&nbsp;“We’ve been trying to understand how this insect pest is going to be moving across the landscape and develop a model to assess the risk to individual vineyards across New York state,” Emery said.&nbsp;In collaboration with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, the model being developed will overlay observations of spotted lanternfly (90,000 sightings have been recorded across the state) with maps of vineyards and locations of its preferred host, tree of heaven. Eventually, they plan to create a public-facing system so that growers can input their information and get back a level of risk.&nbsp;The hope is to use hyperspectral data (which allows for the identification of objects and materials by analyzing their unique spectral signatures) from satellites to identify light reflectance patterns of non-crop plants across the landscape to create risk maps at finer and wider scales. Emery has teamed with Gold and doctoral student Jaclyn Eller for the project.&nbsp;Also,&nbsp;<a href="https://cals.cornell.edu/jason-londo" target="_blank">Jason Londo</a>,&nbsp;associate professor of fruit crop physiology and climate adaptation in SIPS Horticulture Section at Cornell AgriTech, described using hyperspectral and multispectral approaches to understanding plant stress in grapes and apples using drones. He hopes to one day use similar data from satellites, but needs better resolution to be able to detect stress on a tree-by-tree basis, he said.Other visiting NASA personnel included Karen St. Germain, division director of the Earth Science Division in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA.&nbsp;<a href="https://cals.cornell.edu/steven-wolf" target="_blank">Steven Wolf</a>, associate professor of natural resources and the environment in CALS, organized events at Cornell’s Ithaca campus.

Members of Yu Jiang’s team demonstrate the technology. Credits: Ryan Young/Cornell University

An autonomous robot – a base on wheels fitted with computer vision technology that snaps images of grapevines in near real-time – rolls down a long row of plants in a vineyard at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva, New York.

From space to farm: readying NASA satellites to help growers

Learn about some of the trends driving the use of technology in agriculture. 

Powering Precision Agriculture: Five Ways PCBAs Drive Ag Tech

Agriculture has been a&nbsp;vital part of human history for over 12,000 years, marking a significant transition from hunting and gathering. Although the exact reasons for this shift are not clear, one theory suggests it was driven by the need for a more efficient way to obtain food.Farmers are still facing this need today, while grappling with the challenges of exponential population growth and climate change.&nbsp;Today, roughly 1 billion people on the planet lack access to sufficient food – so even without future population growth and the impact of climate change, we need to improve our efficiencies and yields.&nbsp;Climate conditions are also continually shifting in ways that traditional farming can’t easily address.&nbsp;Additionally, consumer expectations have evolved significantly in recent years, with many preferring to purchase food produced through ethical and sustainable growing practices. This often requires farmers to optimize the use of resources and reduce waste. In short, farmers are increasingly expected to achieve more with less.&nbsp;<h2>The capabilities of precision farming</h2>The latest advancement in agriculture is the development of “precision farming”. This system employs wireless connectivity, autonomous machines, drones, and data analytics to provide a detailed understanding of crops and livestock. Precision farming enhances resource efficiency, optimizes growing conditions to maximize yield, and reduces the need for human intervention —saving both time and money. Additionally, it helps pre-empt problems—for example, preventing flooding from burst irrigation pipes by using sensors to detect leaks before they escalate.&nbsp;Asset monitoring is also crucial for farms, as tractors, harvesters, and irrigation systems are expensive and essential for operations. Over large areas of land, assets can be easily misplaced, improperly stored or damaged. Using technology to keep track of these assets helps farmers&nbsp;get&nbsp;the most&nbsp;from&nbsp;expensive equipment.&nbsp;And it’s not only traditional farms that can benefit from this approach. Vertical farms—consisting of rows of plants stacked on shelves in a fully enclosed and controlled environment—can also use these techniques efficiently. In these farms, LED lights replace sunlight, closed-loop recycled water systems are used, and the protected environment eliminates the need for pesticides. According to Science Focus magazine, vertical farming can yield ten times more produce per given land area compared to traditional methods.&nbsp;&nbsp;Another advantage of vertical farming—also known as Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) —is that the ability to grow food in the location it’s needed. This can significantly reduce transportation costs and minimize spoilage.&nbsp;<h2>Transmission across extended distances</h2>Implementing smart farming presents several challenges. One major issue is transmitting data across the large distances typical of farms. While Bluetooth LE and mesh can help bridge some of the distance, there is a limit to the range these networks can reliably achieve.&nbsp;An alternative to Bluetooth networks—and a technology that can be used effectively in combination with them—is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Wireless/Low-power-cellular-IoT" target="_blank">cellular IoT</a>. Devices like the Nordic’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/nRF9151" target="_blank">nRF9151</a>&nbsp;System-in-Package (SiP)—which uses an LTE-M/NB-IoT modem—offer extended transmission distances of the order of kilometers, making them ideal for smart agricultural applications. Cellular IoT devices can transmit aggregated data—such as light, temperature, humidity, and soil moisture levels—directly to the Cloud for analysis, eliminating the need for expensive and complex gateways. The nRF9151 also features enhanced GNSS support, which aids in tracking key assets across large distances on the farm.&nbsp;&nbsp;The nRF9151 SiP also includes built-in support for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Wireless/DECT-NR" target="_blank">DECT NR+</a>, a non-cellular radio standard recently included as part of the 5G standards by the ITU, operating on the dedicated, license-exempt 1.9 GHz DECT band. This standard is especially beneficial because it reduces deployment costs by allowing the creation of a private network through a private service provider, eliminating data charges. Alternatively,&nbsp;as DECT NR+ is comparatively easy to setup and run, a farmer could set up the network by themselves without the need for third party support.&nbsp;&nbsp;For farmers requiring extensive monitoring, this standard is highly scalable, supporting anywhere from 100 to 1 million nodes within a single square kilometer and offering a range of up to three kilometers between nodes.&nbsp;&nbsp;To enhance the data collection of associated sensors, the nRF9151 integrates with Nordic’s Cloud services, called nRF Cloud. nRF Cloud provides tools for onboarding, configuration, monitoring, and firmware-over-the-air (FOTA) updates, for example. The Cloud services support IoT device fleets throughout their lifecycle, ensuring maximum utilization.&nbsp;<h2>Extended battery life</h2>Battery life is crucial for most outdoor applications, which generally lack access to mains power. However, when wireless sensors are deployed across vast areas, making battery changes a major operation, its importance becomes even more significant. LTE-M and NB-IoT’s low-power characteristics make it ideal for devices that must operate over long distances and extended periods, such as sensors in smart agriculture.&nbsp;&nbsp;The nRF9151 SiP is designed from the ground up to minimize power consumption, extending battery life. It takes full advantage of the low-energy possibilities associated with cellular IoT technologies, such as Power Saving Mode (PSM) and eDRX.&nbsp;Additionally, the nRF9151 boasts a 20 percent smaller footprint compared to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/nRF9161" target="_blank">nRF9161</a>&nbsp;SiP, making it ideal for space-constrained sensor or asset monitoring applications.&nbsp;Low power 5G services, such as those supported by the nRF9151 SiP, help enable real-time data collection and analysis, allowing for more precise monitoring and management of crops and livestock. This leads to more informed decision-making, improved resource efficiency, and better overall farm management.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Agriculture has been a vital part of human history for over 12,000 years, marking a significant transition from hunting and gathering. Although the exact reasons for this shift are not clear, one theory suggests it was driven by the need for a more efficient way to obtain food.

How cellular IoT can improve agricultural yield and the lives of farmers

There’s a buzz around Kelowna these days.Well, actually, there are two kinds of buzz. The first is the occasional faint sound of a small but smart drone, carrying out flights every two weeks over two separate orchards. These orchards grow peaches, pears, cherries and more.And the other buzz? Well, that’s the discussion this special two-year project – a collaboration between InDro Robotics and the City of Kelowna (enabled with funding from BC Agriculture) – is generating among farmers in the region.“Technology is always getting bigger and better,” says Riley Johnson, a manager at Byrnes Farms – one of the two locations where the project is being carried out. Johnson is an experienced farmer, and the land has been in the hands of his wife’s family for five generations. He knows the land and crops well, but is curious to see what additional data can be gathered.“Anything in agriculture, the more information you get, you’re not going to be worse off. Especially for new farmers coming into the industry, any new kind of information can help out ten-fold – particularly if you’re on new land. Any information outside of the Old Farmer’s Almanac is always appreciated.”What InDro is doing, to the best of our knowledge, is a type of precision agriculture that hasn’t been carried out before. It combines data acquisition from both drones and ground robots to ensure the most robust and reliable data possible.This data is then used to assess overall vegetation health. Are there indications of pests in certain areas? Are any plants indicating low levels of chlorophyl? Does it look like that patch needs some pesticide – or maybe additional watering?These are important questions for farmers whose livelihoods depend on maximizing the yield and health of their crops.And this project? It’s all about finding the answers – and implementing solutions. Those solutions will include precision spraying of nutrients or other compounds in the precise location where they are required. The end result should be maximum yields with minimal – or no – areas of unhealthy crops.Below: Healthy pears growing at Byrnes Farm. Photo courtesy Riley Johnson<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzIyNjE5MDI0Njk0LWltYWdlMDAwMDAxIDIuSlBHIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 100%px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><h3 id="isPasted">An Introduction</h3>Before we get into all the details, it’s worth introducing you to Dr. Eric Saczuk (assuming you haven’t already met). He’s our Chief of Flight Operations – and comes with some serious chops.Eric holds a PhD in Remote Sensing. He’s been assessing vegetation health (among many other things) using satellite data since the early days – long before drones came on the scene. But when drones did come on the scene, he quickly recognized their potential for the acquisition and interpretation of multiple kinds of data. He has flown missions all over the world on behalf of InDro, all involving complex data and analysis.But that’s not all. He’s been an instructor at the <a href="https://www.bcit.ca/" target="_blank">British Columbia Institute of Technology</a> since 2003 and has been the director of the institute’s <a href="https://www.bcit.ca/learning-teaching-centre/remotely-piloted-aircraft-systems/about-rpas-bcit/" target="_blank">RPAS Hub</a> since 2016. He’s divided his time between BCIT and InDro since 2018 and is our go-to for highly complex operations. He’s also carried out multiple missions to acquire data for projects undertaken by Canada’s National Research Council – including <a href="https://indrorobotics.ca/indro-robotics-flies-in-urban-wind-tunnels-for-national-research-council-project/" target="_blank">this fascinating research</a> on urban wind tunnels. There’s likely not a more qualified person in the country when it comes to drones and data.Below: Dr. Eric Saczuk on an InDro mission. Image by Scott Simmie<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzIyNjE5MDU5ODQxLURTQ0Y3MDQyLXNjYWxlZC5qcGcud2VicCIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 100%px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> <h3 id="isPasted">The Project</h3>Okay. You’ve most likely heard of precision agriculture by now. When it comes to drones, most of us picture something like this: A drone with a multispectral camera flies over a field of wheat or some other crop. That multispectral camera captures spectrums of light both visible and invisible to the human eye. When that data is crunched, it provides a detailed picture of crop health (we’ll explore more of this shortly).In collaboration with the City of Kelowna and local farmers, we’ve been flying a mission every two weeks over two separate fruit orchards. We use a drone with a special type of camera. It has five lenses. One of those lenses simply captures RGB (or simply, colour) images. But the other four have filters that are tuned to pick up light only within specific spectrums that can be collectively analyzed to indicate the health of vegetation.“So in addition to the RGB camera, you’d have one camera capturing just red reflected light, one capturing just green reflected light using filters, and then the other two are what we call red edge and near-infrared,” says Dr. Saczuk.Red edge is particularly useful in the early detection of disease or stress in plants – as it is highly reflected by healthy chlorophyl. But the real magic happens when you take the data captured in these different light wavelengths of light and run some calculations on them. That’s what gives you the bigger picture.“Think of each of these images as a number. Capturing these multiple spectral bands allows you to combine them using complex equations in a type of calculator to give you various indicators of vegetation health,” he says.That data can answer a lot of questions.“Is it healthy? Is it not healthy? Is it being productive? Is there chlorophyll? If so, how active is it?” he says.“These are the kinds of questions we can answer when we do what we call ‘multispectral band combinations.’ And it gives us a really clear picture that cannot be detected by the human eye.” <h3>A Closer Look</h3>We’re going to take a look at an image in a moment.Before we get there, though, it’s worth exploring something Eric said earlier. He mentioned complex math. He’s right. The math happens at the individual pixel level between each of the input bands and there are millions of pixels per band. The most common calculation is used to produce a result called NDVI (not be be confused with NVIDIA, the producer of AI chipsets). The acronym stands for Normalized Difference Vegetation Index. And once the math is done, it gives you an accurate picture of vegetation health.NDVI is calculated by using near infrared (NIR) and red bands (you’ll see the formula below).The resulting pixel number in an NDVI image, will always be between -1 and +1. The higher the number, the better the health. If the number is low, it means there’s something worth looking at. The NDVI provides a detailed look at crop health and while it is regarded as the gold standard, there are also other calculations that can drill down to more specific indicators of vegetation health.Below: Healthy vegetation absorbs most of the visible light that hits it, reflecting a large&nbsp;portion&nbsp;of the near-infrared spectrum. Unhealthy or sparse vegetation (right) reflects more visible light and less near-infrared light. When you do the math, it yields a lower NDVI number. (Public domain image by Robert Simmon.)The second image is the equation used to calculate NDVI (which explains what those numbers are at the bottom of the first image).<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzIyNjE5MTg3Nzc0LU5kdmlfZXhhbXBsZS5qcGcud2VicCIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 100%px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> <h3 id="isPasted">From Data to Decisions</h3>Using the equation above (as well as other formulas), Dr. Saczuk turns all of that data into something both meaningful and actionable. (He’s speaking here in general terms about the project’s goals – not about any specific farm.)“So we’ve got that data, that information that’s saying, ‘Hey, these trees were actually not doing well.’ And then the next question is, OK, can we see anything in the multi-spectral images that would indicate that these trees are somehow spectrally or reflecting light differently than the ones that are healthy?”By looking at the data – and calculating not just NDVI but other indexes, images are generated that provide an at-a-glance look at crop health.Traditionally, this has been a hugely time-consuming task involving multiple steps (and plenty of processing) on a laptop. Now, new tools are available that streamline the process. Dr. Saczuk is using&nbsp;a cloud-based solution specifically for precision agriculture.“It really makes the whole process very efficient – because not only does it do the photogrammetry on the images, stitches them into these orthomosaics, but it also gives you the tools with which to analyse them. This would typically be a multi-step process, but this software makes it a one-stop shop, which is really nice.”That’s without even getting into some of the AI capabilities of the software. It can, for example, count all the trees in a given orchard – and even give you the elevation of a specific tree.Below: An NDVI image of one of the farms in the Kelowna project.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzIyNjE5NDM0MzU1LVNjcmVlbnNob3QtMjAyNC0wOC0wMS1hdC0xMi4xNy41My1QTS5wbmcgY29weS5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 100%px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> <h3 id="isPasted">Now What?</h3>At this phase of the project, InDro is gathering data by drone alone. But as it progresses, two more things will happen: We will introduce ground robots and precision spraying.The plan is that a ground robot will initially be fitted with the same kind of multispectral sensor used by the drone. Autonomous missions will be plotted and the robot will capture a series of images from the ground as it drives through the orchard. That data will be crunched and compared with the results captured from the air.“This is a way of doing ground-based validation of what we’re seeing from the air, from the aerial images of the drones,” says Dr. Saczuk.&nbsp;Once that validation is complete and if problem areas are detected, the next phase would involve precision spraying – which could be carried out by an <a href="https://indrorobotics.ca/heavy-lift-agras-drone/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AGRAS agricultural drone</a> – or even potentially by ground robot. Because all of the data is georeferenced, that means the fertilizer (or possibly pesticide or herbicide, depending on the issue) can be precisely applied to only the required locations. That, of course, is where the term Precision Agriculture comes from. <h3>Vice-Versa</h3>This project is data-driven, with aerial and ground acquisition. But at the outset, shortly after our initial flight in April of 2024, farmer Riley Johnson noticed that a couple of trees weren’t doing well. It wasn’t clear what was causing this failure to thrive, but he didn’t want to take any chances that a potential disease might spread further in the orchard. So those trees were taken down.In this case, because the issue was spotted early and the location was known, Dr. Saczuk is quite interested in doing some deep drilling into the data at that spot. In fact, that’s the very issue he has recently been exploring.“So we’ve got that data, that information that’s saying, ‘Hey, these trees were actually not doing well.’ And then the next question is: Can we see anything in the multi-spectral images that would indicate that these trees are somehow spectrally or reflecting light differently than the ones that are healthy?”This is something that is also of particular interest to Johnson. Will the data reflect what years of experience indicated was a problem to his naked eye?“As the season progresses, it will be really interesting to see what InDro comes up with,” he says. “But I can definitely see the value of this for someone just getting into farming, or for farms up the hills with new plantings, new growth. This could be very useful.”Below: Another image of a Kelowna orchard from this project, showing elevation<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzIyNjE5NTkxMzMxLVNjcmVlbnNob3QtMjAyNC0wOC0wMS1hdC0xMi4xOS4yNy1QTS5wbmcgY29weS5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 100%px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><h3 id="isPasted">InDro's Take</h3>We’ve been involved with precision agriculture projects in the past. In fact, we pioneered a “<a href="https://indrorobotics.ca/indros-drone-in-a-box-offers-precision-agriculture/" target="_blank">drone-in-a-box</a>‘ solution, where we’ve shipped a drone to farmers. We talk them through the process of being a visual observer, then instruct them on how to power up the drone. InDro then carries out the flight remotely, using 4G or 5G – while in constant contact with the observer. When it’s done, the farmer puts the drone in the box and sends it back. InDro carries out the data analysis and quickly sends an easy-to-understand report indicating what areas require attention – and what kind of attention they require.But this project is very different, and exciting for multiple reasons.“The bi-weekly flights by drone will provide a huge amount of timely data, enabling us to detect any potential problems at an early stage,” says InDro Robotics Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “But by adding robots to validate from the ground, we’ll have a more robust dataset that can be used to truly pinpoint areas of concern and which may require precision spraying. We are going to learn a lot with this project – and believe our findings will be of great benefit to farmers down the road.”A final note. When Dr. Saczuk isn’t carrying out these flights, they’re being flown by a new addition to the InDro team, &nbsp;Jon Chubb. He’s already had interest from other farmers in the Okanogan who are eager to maximize their own yields and have an early detection system for any trouble spots. If you’re in that neck of the woods and would like to arrange a demo, you can contact Jon <a href="mailto:jon.chubb@indrorobotics.com" target="_blank">here</a>.

Kelowna Precision Agriculture Project

Drones and Ground Robots for Precision Agriculture

<section id="isPasted">Modern agriculture today faces a double threat: escalating water scarcity and a changing climate. The agricultural sector is one of the largest users of groundwater and surface water on the planet; the U.S. Geological Survey reported in 2015 that <a href="https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2018/3035/fs20183035.pdf" target="_blank" data-lf-fd-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true">37 percent of freshwater withdrawals</a> in the US were for irrigation.The western U.S., especially, faces a critical situation. Here, where crops depend on irrigation and account for 81% of all irrigation withdrawals, sustainable practices are no longer a choice, but a necessity. <a href="https://www.queencreekaz.gov/services/utilities/water/water-conservation/smart-irrigation-controllers" target="_blank">Local governments have begun outreach programs</a> urging residents to limit individual water use with smart irrigation controllers. Traditional irrigation systems, often reliant on fixed schedules or manual adjustments, prove wasteful and inefficient, and local governments point out their detrimental effects–both to the individual pocket book and the local water table–in their approach to curb water use.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzIxMjI1NTk5MzAxLTE3MjEyMjU1OTkzMDEucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="https://www.ers.usda.gov/developer/embed-chart-widget/?chartId=62560" class="fr-fic fr-dii">https://www.ers.usda.gov/developer/embed-chart-widget/?chartId=62560Smart agriculture takes this a step further and offers a significant solution to maintain water resources. Unlike traditional irrigation methods, it leverages technology to develop new strategies for optimizing resource use, with a particular focus on water. Printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs) play a crucial role, acting as the device's intelligence. This can automate and optimize water delivery with a level of precision previously unattainable, precisely tailoring irrigation to the specific needs of crops and the environment.While the upfront cost of implementing smart irrigation systems may seem daunting, such systems can pay for themselves in time through better yields and significant water savings.<h2>Smart Irrigation System: Inside Its Brain</h2>At the heart of any smart irrigation system lies the irrigation system controller board. This intelligent hub transforms irrigation from a manual chore into an automated science. By constantly analyzing real-time data on soil moisture, temperature, and even weather forecasts, the controller makes split-second decisions to optimize pump and valve operation. This ensures each plant receives the precise amount of water it needs, eliminating waste and maximizing efficiency.Drip irrigation isn't alone in using smart control boards. Specialized PCBA controllers manage water levels too. These boards, communicating with float sensors or pressure transducers, actively monitor reservoir levels, ensuring they stay within optimal ranges. This vigilance helps predict potential water shortages and allows for proactive water management.Flood control is another area where water level controllers shine. They enable preventative measures like controlled water releases by constantly monitoring reservoir capacity. This not only protects surrounding areas from flooding but also safeguards dam infrastructure itself. Staying within safe operating limits prevents stress that could lead to cracks, leaks, or even dam failure.Smart irrigation systems work as interconnected networks. Built-in sensors constantly gather real-time environmental data. These sensors track moisture levels, temperature swings, and even sunlight exposure. Loggers play a critical role by storing and transmitting this data for analysis. This data-driven approach allows for informed irrigation decisions.Data flexibility is a key feature of modern smart irrigation systems. Systems can store data locally for later retrieval by a smartphone or computer or, alternatively, they can connect directly to the cloud for real-time modeling and decision-making.Another critical PCBA within the irrigation system is the water pump controller board. This dedicated circuit board collaborates seamlessly with the central irrigation system controller. It functions as the intermediary, receiving precise instructions regarding irrigation schedules, pressure levels, and specific zone requirements. By processing this real-time data, the pump controller board translates commands into concrete actions for optimal pump operation.The pump controller board exerts precise control over pump operation. It activates and deactivates the pump with meticulous timing, ensuring delivery aligns perfectly with established water schedules.Further, the board can adjust pump speed for variable flow rates. This allows for targeted irrigation within a single field. For instance, one crop demanding a higher water volume can receive a robust flow, while another requiring a gentler application can be addressed accordingly.Safety features are also embedded within the pump controller board. It incorporates overload protection measures, safeguarding the pump motor from potential damage caused by electrical surges.<h2>Water Scarcity: A Growing World Issue</h2>The once-reliable abundance of freshwater is now in a state of decline, especially in regions like the Mediterranean and South Asia. Studies show areas like the Mediterranean <a href="https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/jrc-news-and-updates/severe-drought-western-mediterranean-faces-low-river-flows-and-crop-yields-earlier-ever-2023-06-13_en" target="_blank">are particularly vulnerable to drought</a> in areas where rainfall has remained low for extended periods. Freshwater resources are under pressure from climate change and population growth.The agricultural sector, a critical economic engine in many water-scarce regions, is particularly at risk. In India, for instance, rice production, which utilizes significant water resources, covers 10 percent of the landmass. A single drought year, like the record low rainfall in 2002, can cripple food production and threaten food security for millions. Still worse, excessive water, as India's Haryana state experienced in 2023, can also result in devastating losses. Smart irrigation systems offer a lifeline in this crisis. By using real-time data and precision controls, these systems can dramatically reduce water waste or overuse in agriculture. This not only conserves water for future generations but also helps ensure food security in drought-prone regions.<h2>Better Yields: Unequivocal Benefits of Data-Driven Irrigation</h2><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzIxMjI1NTk4NDk3LTE3MjEyMjU1OTg0OTcucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="3uihjfkdzs" class="fr-fic fr-dii">Real-time data-driven irrigation systems demonstrably achieve a dual benefit: water conservation and increased agricultural yields. A University of Nebraska study, spanning an impressive 65 years, revealed not only significant yield increases in irrigated crops (up to 170% compared to rain-fed fields) but also a widening yield gap over time. This positive trend can likely be attributed to the combination of advanced irrigation technology enhancing yields in irrigated fields, while climate pressures constrain production elsewhere.By optimizing water use and maximizing yields, these systems empower farmers to thrive in a more challenging environment. Furthermore, research into cost-effective sensor technology holds the promise of making these advancements accessible to a wider range of agricultural producers, particularly in developing economies. This democratization of smart irrigation has the potential to revolutionize global food production and water management in the face of a growing population and a changing planet.<h2>The Future of Smart Irrigation</h2><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzIxMjI1NTk5MzYwLTE3MjEyMjU1OTkzNjAucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="4hrthyy785t3d" class="fr-fic fr-dii">Advancements in PCBA technology, particularly miniaturization and processing power improvements, promise to refine smart irrigation systems further. These advancements will usher in a new era of intelligent and adaptable systems, allowing farmers to achieve unprecedented efficiency and sustainability in water management.PCBAs are the cornerstone of this revolution, acting as the intelligent core that analyzes data, automates tasks, and optimizes water delivery. By leveraging these powerful tools, farmers can build a future of sustainable agriculture where water is used judiciously and crops flourish.</section><a href="https://www.macrofab.com/blog.rss" target="_blank"></a><h4>Creating a Smart Irrigation System?</h4><a href="https://factory.macrofab.com/quick_quote/?utm_source=www.macrofab.com&utm_medium=referral" target="_blank">GET AN INSTANT PCBA QUOTE NOW</a><section><h5> </h5></section>

With a growing population and a changing environment, smart irrigation technology democratization could revolutionize global food production and water management.

Smart Irrigation: Optimizing Water Use with PCBA-Driven Tech

The world population is expected to climb to 9.7 billion in 2050.&nbsp;With significant soil shrinkage, it will be an immense challenge to feed them all.&nbsp;How can we feed this amount of people in these conditions?Wageningen University &amp; Research is spearheading a pilot project focused on advancing cucumber plant phenotyping with unprecedented speed and accuracy. Leveraging Photoneo’s cutting-edge MotionCam-3D Color camera, they achieve fast and high-quality scanning of plants for the creation of their digital twins with color and texture. The aim is to understand cucumber plant development and optimize crop yields.Partner:<a href="https://www.wur.nl/en.htm" target="_blank">Wageningen University &amp; Research</a>Challenge:In the pursuit of understanding plant development and optimizing crop yields, researchers face the challenge of accurately measuring various aspects of plant growth over time. In the case of cucumber plants, tracking parameters such as flower position, leaf size, plant height, and fruit maturation presents a complex task. In a pilot project conducted at The Netherlands Plant Eco-phenotyping Centre (NPEC), a team from the Wageningen University &amp; Research is testing the adoption of 3D vision to create precise and accurate 3D models of cucumber plants and thus advance cucumber plant phenotyping to an unprecedented level.<figure><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzE2NDcxMjIzMzk3LTE3MTY0NzEyMjMzOTcucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="Cucumber plant phenotyping with Photoneo 3D vision" width="780" height="585" srcset="https://www.photoneo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240306_084150-400x300.jpg 400w, https://www.photoneo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240306_084150-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://www.photoneo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240306_084150-768x576.jpg 768w, https://www.photoneo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240306_084150-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://www.photoneo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240306_084150-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://www.photoneo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240306_084150-320x240.jpg 320w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" class="fr-fic fr-dii"><figcaption>Picture: Cucumber plant phenotyping with Photoneo MotionCam-3D camera</figcaption></figure>Solution:<a href="https://www.photoneo.com/motioncam-3d/" target="_blank">MotionCam-3D Color</a>To tackle the above challenge, researchers have turned to high-tech tools, using the Photoneo MotionCam-3D Color camera. By leveraging the capabilities of this advanced camera, attached to a robot moving around the plant, researchers can precisely localize and analyze individual plant parts.Utilizing the MotionCam-3D Color, the solution meticulously captures intricate details of cucumber plants with unparalleled precision. Unlike conventional 3D scanners that need to pause for scans, MotionCam-3D can revolve around the plant and provide high-quality 3D scans even in motion, ensuring unparalleled accuracy and optimizing time efficiency.<figure><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzE2NDcxMjIzNTUzLTE3MTY0NzEyMjM1NTMucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="3D scanning plants with Photoneo MotionCam-3D Color" width="780" height="228" srcset="https://www.photoneo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Plant-scans-collage-400x117.png 400w, https://www.photoneo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Plant-scans-collage-1024x300.png 1024w, https://www.photoneo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Plant-scans-collage-768x225.png 768w, https://www.photoneo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Plant-scans-collage-480x141.png 480w, https://www.photoneo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Plant-scans-collage.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" class="fr-fic fr-dii"><figcaption>Picture: 3D scans of cucumber plants from Photoneo MotionCam-3D Color</figcaption></figure>From the 3D scans of plants, 3D models with texture and color are constructed using Photoneo’s 3D Instant Meshing software. This software brings a big shift to 3D model creation as it enables users to create 3D models from a continuous stream of 3D scans taken by MotionCam-3D without interruption.The solution developed and tested by NPEC facilitates automated harvesting by allowing for unprecedented accuracy in scanning and measuring plant characteristics defined by shape, color, and texture. The camera’s scanning ability enables the creation of detailed digital twins for plant models, providing valuable insights into plant development and growth patterns.Discussion:The implementation of the Photoneo MotionCam-3D Color camera marks a significant advancement in plant phenotyping processes. By collecting detailed data on plant characteristics, researchers can gain deeper insights into plant development, leading to more informed decision-making in agricultural practices.The ability to accurately measure and track plant growth over time holds the potential to address challenges such as labor shortages in agriculture and optimize yields in the long term. With this innovative approach, researchers are paving the way for a more prosperous and sustainable future in agriculture.Would you like to know more about Photoneo technology and how it can benefit your applications? <a href="https://www.photoneo.com/contact-us/?utm_source=A3&utm_medium=Case%20study&utm_campaign=Harnessing%20cutting-edge%203D%20vision%20for%20automated%20cucumber%20plant%20phenotyping" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Contact the Photoneo team</a>.

Harnessing cutting-edge 3D vision for automated cucumber plant phenotyping

Wageningen University & Research is spearheading a pilot project focused on advancing cucumber plant phenotyping with unprecedented speed and accuracy, leveraging Photoneo's cutting-edge MotionCam-3D Color camera for the creation of digital twins with color and texture. 

MAN Truck &amp; Bus, a global leader in transport solutions, is embracing 3D printing through Replique’s production platform to manufacture spare parts on-demand, locally, and without the need for physical inventory. Starting with the production of bronze manifolds for the cooling water supply of a marine engine, MAN aims to undertake further projects in the future to reduce costs and further optimize their service.Challenges in Spare Parts ManagementIn special machine construction, ensuring spare parts supply is often challenging. Small quantities, unpredictable consumption, and sometimes lengthy delivery times typically require stocking critical components to avoid costly equipment or machine downtimes.<img width="624" src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzE1OTMwODM4MTE1LTE3MTU5MzA4MzgxMTUuanBlZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" alt="Ein Bild, das Motor, Autoteile, Maschine, Auto enthält.Automatisch generierte Beschreibung" class="fr-fic fr-dii">MAN was faced with the challenge of urgently procuring 10 bronze distributors for the cooling water supply of a marine engine, which were no longer in stock.In a recent case, MAN faced the challenge of urgently having to acquire 10 bronze manifolds for the cooling water supply of a marine engine that were no longer in stock. The casting mold for this critical component was unavailable. Conventional procurement methods involving the creation of models, casting, and mechanical machining would have been both time and cost-intensive. MAN, therefore, sought an alternative solution to meet the short-term demand, one that also met the high technical requirements for this highly stressed component.Efficient Spare Parts Management through On-Demand 3D PrintingCollaborating with Replique allowed MAN to reproduce the 10 manifolds in original quality using additive manufacturing – all that was needed was a 3D model and a manufacturing drawing. In collaboration with its material partners, Replique selected a material (m4p™ Brz10) that was technically equivalent to the original material. Production took place through Selective Laser Melting (SLM) via a local 3D printing service from Replique’s network of more than 85 partners worldwide. From MAN’s initial inquiry to the delivery of ready-to-install parts, only about 7 weeks passed. Tensile tests conducted at MAN’s Central Material Technology department revealed that the chosen material actually exhibited better technical properties than the original. The use in practice of these parts was also successful, leading MAN to place an additional order for 10 units.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1715931647315-1715931647315.png" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The 3D printed bronze manifolds surpass the requirements of the original part. Due to the digital availability of production information, they can be reordered at any time with consistent quality.As the relevant component has already been qualified for 3D printing and a corresponding print file is created and digitally available, including information on the used material and technology, the manifolds can be reordered at any time in consistent quality. MAN incurs no fixed costs for molds and models or storage costs, resulting in attractive overall costs per unit for small quantities.“The collaboration with Replique was seamless from our initial contact to the moment we received the finished parts. It allowed us to promptly assist our spare parts customers, and we are already in the process of realizing another 3D printing project with Replique,” says Thomas Hauck, Spare Parts Logistics MAN.“The use of additive manufacturing enables companies to overcome traditional production challenges. We are happy to work together with MAN to ensure a reliable and efficient supply of spare parts in the transport and marine sectors,” says Dr. Max Siebert, CEO and Co-Founder of Replique.

MAN Truck & Bus is embracing Replique’s production platform to manufacture spare parts on-demand. Starting with the production of bronze manifolds for the cooling water supply of a marine engine, MAN aims to undertake further projects in the future to reduce costs and further optimize their service.

MAN Truck & Bus leverages Replique 3D printing platform for efficient spare parts manufacturing

Explore the transformative power of precision agriculture, highlighting innovations like Particle's M-Series and the future of sustainable farming. Dive into the evolution, technologies, and trends shaping tomorrow's agriculture.

Unearthing the Potential of Precision Agriculture

With the expected population of the UK to be 73.7 million by 2036 and increased pressure to reach net zero by 2050, how does the Agriculture industry fair when challenged with growing populations, climate change, sustainability goals and resource inefficiencies? 

What does the future hold for Agritech?

Our new report, AI at the Edge: Technology Accelerated by Wi-Fi Services, dives deeply into the convergence of Wi-Fi services and Edge AI and explores how a technology model like WaaS can accelerate the adoption of AI at the edge.&nbsp;Below is an excerpt from Chapter 3 of the report. To read the full report, including in-depth case studies, download it now.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzEwNTE0NjU1NDU5LVJlbGF5IDIucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 100%px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><iframe width="540" height="305" src="https://c8056756.sibforms.com/serve/MUIFAIgRr7nh2u88k57MUBWp43e1lkOKIXq3Z9dxFiC8kXdgaxMxkxsZKsum_gd4u7Qq4_1n-e3n6hH4X_Nw12RLp7SUWPiUkUUgLHhq84lH8VfbGGhwuM1Hvkr60WpcS1SyyBLR-7ErbMPEfKrwqo_-_-CHDFwvTGW-swKGBpTKYdEO-rdhIbTFZyt7qA8fH9zg-zqRf6Li7cOQ" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" allowfullscreen="" style="display: block;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;max-width: 100%;" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true">&nbsp;</iframe>The applicability of Wi-Fi Edge AI is fairly expansive and is growing by the day, spanning various industries and application areas. The most central aspects of this intersection of technologies are the real-time insights they provide, how these insights impact the speed and type of response, and how they are communicated across the network. Whether it is in smart healthcare, education, retail, or other application areas, Wi-Fi-enabled Edge AI is redefining how technology is leveraged in real time. Relay2 utilizes several Edge AI platforms to enhance the functionality of AI applications on the edge. In this chapter, we will take a look at some interesting use cases of Wi-Fi Edge AI, and we will see the impact of this technology convergence and the new opportunities it is opening in new and emergent technological spaces.<h2>Education / Smart Campus</h2>Wi-Fi Edge AI plays an important role in education-related applications, among which is remote learning integration, facilitating seamless and interactive remote education and bridging the gap between on-site and remote learning experiences. With localized content engagement pattern analysis and personalized experiences for students, Wi-Fi services and edge computing can help enhance and refine education content delivery.&nbsp;Campus facilities can also benefit significantly from integrating such technologies, especially in terms of security and surveillance, where Wi-Fi Edge AI can help analyze surveillance videos locally and in real time to recommend timely actions for security staff. It also powers use cases like attendance automation and traffic patterns, streamlining attendance tracking for educators and student flow analysis for operation enhancement.&nbsp;Another use case of Wi-Fi and edge computing can be seen in revenue generation, in which they enable intelligent, location-based advertising through audience behavior analysis for commercial partners. By leveraging these technologies, educational institutions can help promote campus services better, boost product marketing across campus premises and beyond, and enable efficient digital transactions.One example of applying Wi-Fi and edge computing in education is by WENet, an OEM partner of Relay2 in Vietnam. In order to support the University of Transport Technology in Vietnam in developing a digital technology infrastructure platform, WENet deployed Relay2’s Wi-Fi-enabled edge computing solution, making use of the advantages provided by Relay2 ServiceEdge Platform compared to conventional Wi-Fi networks. From stable bandwidth to fast processing speed, short deployment time, minimal service interruption time, and optimal operating costs, the features brought about by Relay2’s ServiceEdge Platform were highly effective. As a result, over 17 thousand students across three campuses were able to benefit from this platform, especially in terms of the following three key functions:<ul><li>Digital signage interacting with mobile devices to support two-way communication (university-to-student communication and student responses to university requests)</li><li>Students’ access to digital education materials from Relay2’s Service Points</li><li>Students’ ability to order food digitally from the cafeteria</li></ul>Such functions have not only enabled students to benefit from a Wi-Fi-powered edge computing platform but also helped collect analytic data for future AI processing at the edge. Read more about the WENet use case on the Relay2 website.<h2>Smart Healthcare</h2>Undoubtedly, one of the most important aspects of healthcare is real-time monitoring and real-time decision-making. However, as we have seen over the recent years with pandemic-caused crises, healthcare workers are more often than not overworked, and hospitals are resource-limited, which can limit their abilities to provide timely care. In order to ensure patient safety and health within hospital spaces and elsewhere, it is crucial to track, monitor, analyze, and act in real-time. All this can be made available by incorporating Edge AI and Wi-Fi. Whether it is remote monitoring and management, patient activity tracking, patient care, or even assistance during healthcare crises, hospitals, and medical personnel can benefit significantly from integrating Wi-Fi Edge AI into their processes.Smart healthcare comes in the form of connected healthcare, where AI-based smart devices, healthcare management software, and digital instruments are integrated into a “connected” healthcare system using a network protocol like Wi-Fi. As such, medical personnel would have access to all the medical-related information they need to provide the patients with the necessary medical treatment in the most effective and convenient way possible. This has been made possible by utilizing Edge AI and Wi-Fi technologies to empower the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). In other words, healthcare personnel can leverage the low-latency capabilities of Edge AI processing and the ubiquity of Wi-Fi connectivity to access real-time data from diverse medical sensors, enabling timely decision-making and interventions and fostering a proactive approach to patient care.Consider intensive care units (ICUs), operating rooms, or other healthcare spaces, the use of Edge AI and Wi-Fi can augment the work of doctors, nurses, and clinicians by minimizing limitations, redundancies, and time allocated to activities away from direct patient care (such as documentation). As a result, medical workers can benefit from an emerging ambient intelligence , powered by edge computing, AI capabilities, and Wi-Fi. This can even be expanded to daily living spaces, which would support independent living, chronic disease management, mental health, and physical rehabilitation, particularly of elderly individuals.<h2>Smart Retail</h2>Global retail is almost always in flux, and both retailers and suppliers are grappling with the complexities of ever-changing consumer demand, behavior, and expectations. The continuous shifts in these dynamics create uncertainties in predicting future trends and exert significant stress on international supply chains and store operations. Navigating these challenges necessitates real-time adaptability to stay ahead in the retail industry.Edge AI emerges as a potent solution, offering retailers the capability to swiftly and precisely forecast daily demand while automating crucial aspects of supply chain logistics, customer engagement, and operational agility. This not only addresses challenges related to in-store supply management but also tackles issues in last-mile delivery costs, aligning with consumer expectations regarding timely deliveries.Within physical stores, retailers leverage Edge AI to combat issues such as shrinkage and stockouts, optimizing inventory management. Simultaneously, the application of Edge AI and Wi-Fi contributes to the creation of frictionless in-store experiences while prioritizing the health and safety of both employees and shoppers. The integration of AI in retail is thus transforming operations, offering a multifaceted approach to address the intricate challenges posed by the dynamic retail landscape.D.Phone, one of the largest cell phone retailers out of China, has deployed in-store Wi-Fi to enhance its customer experience and promote engagement as a way to offer a differentiated experience that would distinguish its &nbsp;D.Phone stores from competitors. They opted for Relay2’s wireless broadband solution, taking advantage of its unified native-cloud wireless networking and edge-service delivery.By leveraging Relay2 access points, D.Phone was able to offer high-quality customer experiences and deliver value-added services in-store. With its fast and reliable coverage in demanding environments like customer-dense spaces, including shopping centers and large venues, Relay2 access points enabled D.Phone to meet its customers' expectations and offer them the high-speed connectivity they desire. Moreover, with Relay2’s Edge services, D.Phone was able to run sales-generating applications and computation-intensive services locally and place content right at its &nbsp;D.Phone customers’ fingertips, thus reducing content download time to just seconds. This helped streamline the customer purchasing experience and circumvent bandwidth bottlenecks. It even enabled D.Phone to deliver new services to its customers, including app delivery and couponing. This has displayed an accelerated go-to-market process for D.Phone’s digital merchandise and a reinforced branding strategy. Read more about the D.Phone use case on Relay2’s website.<blockquote>“Relay2’s plug-and-play access points and cloud-based platform [have] given us a solution that lowers the cost of deployment and management.” - Wu Huan, CIO, D.Phone</blockquote><h2>Smart Buildings</h2>With the recent growth in smart homes and building automation systems, edge computing, AI, and Wi-Fi have become increasingly popular in this space. The integration of Edge AI with sustainable architecture and smart buildings has been rapidly gaining momentum and transforming the manner in which we construct and interact with our built spaces. With advantages like enhanced energy efficiency, optimized systems, personalized occupant comfort, and streamlined building maintenance, smart buildings are leveraging the real-time analysis capabilities of Edge AI and its integration with IoT and developing potential for more sustainable architecture and digital integration.Acting as a centralized intelligence hub, AI processes and interprets data obtained from an array of edge devices (IoT devices) such as sensors and actuators scattered throughout the building. This network of devices forms a comprehensive information system, providing valuable insights into various aspects of the building's operations. Through the implementation of AI algorithms, smart buildings gain the ability to efficiently monitor and regulate crucial functions like lighting, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, security, and energy consumption. Such an integration results in an environment that is not only responsive but also adaptive, catering to the dynamic needs and preferences of the building occupants.This can be further supported by Wi-Fi connectivity and cloud-based Wi-Fi services, in particular. Cloud-based Wi-Fi services enable centralized management and control of Wi-Fi networks. This centralized approach simplifies the deployment and maintenance of Wi-Fi connectivity across the building, ensuring a more streamlined and scalable infrastructure. Furthermore, the cloud facilitates the storage and analysis of the vast amounts of data generated by IoT devices in Smart Buildings. AI algorithms require substantial data inputs to make informed decisions, and cloud-based services offer the computational resources needed for processing and interpreting this data. It enables more sophisticated analytics, allowing for better insights into building operations, occupant behaviors, and energy consumption patterns.&nbsp;Similarly, the cloud's scalability can easily accommodate the dynamic nature of Smart Buildings, especially when the number of connected devices grows or changes. Just as importantly, cloud-based services enable remote monitoring, management, and updates of Wi-Fi networks and connected devices. This remote accessibility is invaluable for building administrators, allowing them to troubleshoot issues, implement updates, and optimize network performance without physically being on-site. In this regard, smart buildings can benefit meaningfully from Relay2’s innovative solutions. With advanced networking capabilities, Wi-Fi Edge Computing power, and intelligent analytics, users of Relay2’s ServiceEdge platform can ensure seamless connectivity and optimized operational efficiency.<h2>Smart Agriculture</h2>The Internet of Things (IoT) and edge computing have influenced the agricultural and farming industries quite extensively over the past decade, especially with the rapid rise of low-power wide-area networks (LPWAN) . Wireless communication protocols are, in fact, a vital part of smart agriculture systems, especially since the fields cover large areas that necessitate system components to be placed at remote locations. The integration of Wi-Fi and edge computing has been key to expanding the digital functionalities in agriculture, especially with the advent of AI at the edge, thus increasing the possibilities of smart agriculture over large areas.One type of smart agriculture that has been propelled by Edge AI and Wi-Fi services is precision farming. By deploying sensors and cameras in fields, farmers can gather real-time data on crucial factors such as weather patterns, soil conditions, crop growth, and pest infestations. This localized data processing enables farmers to modify and regulate their irrigation, fertilization, and pest control without delay, leading to an increase in crop yields and resource efficiency. The implementation of edge devices equipped with sensors extends beyond crop monitoring to include livestock health and behavior. Wearable devices on animals, such as cattle, provide early indications of illness or oestrus, empowering farmers to take timely actions, resulting in improved animal well-being, reduced rates of mortality, and higher farm productivity all around.&nbsp;Furthermore, the incorporation of Edge AI has paved the way for autonomous farming machinery, where tractors and drones equipped with edge devices can analyze field data in real time. This enables them to refine their routes, control planting depths, and identify and eliminate weeds in an autonomous manner. Not only does autonomous farming machinery reduce labor costs, but it also minimizes the use of chemicals, aligning agriculture with more eco-friendly practices. This is further empowered with the integration of Wi-Fi Services, allowing for centralized, remote monitoring and seamless connectivity between edge devices across large fields and in remote areas. The seamless integration of Edge AI and Wi-Fi technologies is proving transformative in making agriculture smarter, more efficient, and more sustainable over expansive agricultural landscapes.Relay2 offers smart farms state-of-the-art solutions that can help transform crop production, efficiency, and sustainability. These solutions seamlessly connect and monitor agricultural devices, collect real-time data, and leverage advanced analytics for informed decision-making. By optimizing resources, automating processes, and implementing precision farming, Relay2 empowers farmers to maximize yield and sustainability.<hr>This was an excerpt from Chapter 3 of the AI at the Edge: Technology Accelerated by Wi-Fi Services report. If you would like to read the full report, including in-depth case studies, you can download it below. &nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzEwNTE0ODA2OTE3LVJlbGF5IDIucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 100%px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><iframe width="540" height="305" src="https://c8056756.sibforms.com/serve/MUIFAIgRr7nh2u88k57MUBWp43e1lkOKIXq3Z9dxFiC8kXdgaxMxkxsZKsum_gd4u7Qq4_1n-e3n6hH4X_Nw12RLp7SUWPiUkUUgLHhq84lH8VfbGGhwuM1Hvkr60WpcS1SyyBLR-7ErbMPEfKrwqo_-_-CHDFwvTGW-swKGBpTKYdEO-rdhIbTFZyt7qA8fH9zg-zqRf6Li7cOQ" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" allowfullscreen="" style="display: block;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;max-width: 100%;" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true">&nbsp;</iframe><h3 dir="ltr" id="isPasted">Read excerpts of the other report chapters:</h3>Chapter 1: <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/ai-at-the-edge-report-chapter-1-wi-fi-analytics-services-enabling-edge-ai" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wi-Fi Services Enabling Edge AI</a>Chapter 2: <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/ai-at-the-edge-report-chapter-2-relay2-and-edge-ai" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Relay2 and Edge AI</a>&nbsp;Chapter 4: <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/ai-at-the-edge-report-chapter-4-future-of-edge-ai-with-wi-fi-technology" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Future of Edge AI with Wi-Fi Technology</a>&nbsp;

Wi-Fi-enabled Edge AI is redefining how technology is leveraged in real time.

AI at the Edge Report. Chapter 3: Applications & Case Studies

New, highly stretchable sensors can monitor and transmit plant growth information without human intervention, report University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers in the journal Device.&nbsp;The polymer sensors are resilient to humidity and temperature, can stretch over 400% while remaining attached to a plant as it grows and send a wireless signal to a remote monitoring location, said <a href="https://chbe.illinois.edu/" target="_blank">chemical and biomolecular engineering</a> professor <a href="https://chbe.illinois.edu/people/profile/yingdiao" target="_blank">Ying Diao</a>, who led the study with <a href="https://sib.illinois.edu/departments/plant-biology" target="_blank">plant biology</a> professor and department head <a href="https://sib.illinois.edu/directory/profile/leakey" target="_blank">Andrew Leakey</a>.The study details some of the early results of a NASA grant&nbsp;<a href="https://las.illinois.edu/news/2020-12-18/cultivating-astronomical-plant-growth" target="_blank">awarded to Diao</a> to investigate how wearable printed electronics will be used to make farming possible in space.“This work is motivated by the needs of astronauts to grow vegetables sustainably while they are on long missions,” she said.&nbsp;Diao’s team approached this project using an Earth-based laboratory to create a highly dependable, stretchable electronic device – and its development did not come easily, she said.&nbsp;“Honestly, we began this work thinking that this task would only take a few months to perfect. However, we quickly realized that our polymer was too rigid,” said Siqing Wang, a graduate student and first author of the study. “We had to reformulate a lot of the components to make them more soft and stretchable and adjust our printing method to control the assembly of the microstructures inside the device so that they did not form large crystals during the printing and curing process.”&nbsp;The team landed on a very thin film device that helps restrain the crystal growth during assembly and printing.“After addressing the stretchability and assembly issues, we had to tackle the problems that come with working with wearable electronics in high humidity and under rapid growth rates,” Wang said. “We needed reproducible results so we could not have the sensors fall off or electronically fail during the growth experiments. We finally came up with a seamless electrode and interface that was not affected by the demanding conditions.”<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WU1mXLertMM?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe>The ‘Stretchable-Polymer-Electronics-based Autonomous Remote Strain Sensor,’ or SPEARS2 – is the product of three years of hard work, proving that applied science rarely experiences eureka moments. &nbsp;“It is an exciting technical advance in our ability to perform precise, noninvasive measurements of plant growth in real-time. I look forward to seeing how it can complement the latest tools for interrogating genomic and cellular processes,” Leakey said.Diao also said she is excited to uncover all of the ways this research will continue to progress.&nbsp;For example, this study looks at plants like corn that grow primarily upward. However, the researchers plan to advance their electronics printing methodology to create a system that can monitor upward and outward growth.&nbsp;The team said they are also working toward the ability to sense and monitor chemical processes remotely. &nbsp;“I think the wearable electronics research community has ignored plants for too long,” Diao said. “We know that they are experiencing a lot of stress during climate adaptation, and I think soft electronics can play a bigger role in advancing our understanding so we can ensure that plants are healthy, happy and sustainable in the future – whether that is in space, on other planets or right here on Earth.”&nbsp;Researchers at NASA and Illinois researchers from&nbsp;<a href="https://bioengineering.illinois.edu/" target="_blank">bioengineering</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://cropsciences.illinois.edu/" target="_blank">crop sciences</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://matse.illinois.edu/" target="_blank">material science and engineering</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.igb.illinois.edu/" target="_blank">Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology</a> and the&nbsp;<a href="https://beckman.illinois.edu/" target="_blank">Beckman Institute</a><a href="https://beckman.illinois.edu/" target="_blank">&nbsp;for Advanced Science and Technology</a> contributed to this study.&nbsp;

 Research led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign uses polymer-based stretchable electrodes to remotely monitor plant growth, bringing scientists a step closer to growing plants in space to feed astronauts during long missions.  Photo courtesy NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

New, highly stretchable sensors can monitor and transmit plant growth information without human intervention, report University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers in the journal Device. 

Study brings scientists a step closer to successfully growing plants in space

In this episode, we discuss how Dyson - the company best known for their vacuum cleaners - has created an automated and sustainable farm to harvest the best possible strawberries with the least amount of environmental impact.

Podcast: Dyson's Automated, Self-sustaining Strawberry Farm

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Agriculture

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Scanning Electron Microscopy: A Comprehensive Guide

Agriculture

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