Description du projet
Cultiver la robotique et l’IA pour une agriculture durable
L’agriculture est sensible aux coûts et aux pénuries de main-d’œuvre, et il est de la plus haute importance d’accroitre l’efficacité et la durabilité des pratiques culturales. Le projet ROBS4CROPS, financé par l’UE, est un catalyseur essentiel de progrès dans les domaines de la robotique de pointe et des technologies automatisées pour l’industrie agricole et alimentaire européenne. Ce projet de quatre ans, qui s’appuiera sur des machines agricoles, des normes et des meilleures pratiques existantes, développera et fabriquera un système entièrement autonome, flexible et modulaire, prêt pour des essais commerciaux à grande échelle. Ces essais seront menés en partenariat avec des exploitations agricoles commerciales et des dirigeants d’entreprise de France, de Grèce, d’Espagne et des Pays-Bas. ROBS4CROPS réduira considérablement la dépendance des agriculteurs vis-à-vis de la main-d’œuvre salariée, renforcera la sécurité, limitera l’utilisation d’intrants et atténuera l’empreinte carbone globale de la production alimentaire.
Objectif
The most important challenge in European agriculture is the cost and scarcity of labour. Robots have replaced labour in several sectors of the economy. Agricultural robots have not yet reached widespread acceptance. The vision of ROBS4CROPS is an agricultural sector where robots will replace humans in all heavy and unpleasant work!
From a technical point of view, agricultural robots do not reach their potential because they are used as stand-alone units rather than as part of a complete, innovative robotic system. From a non-technical point of view, agricultural robots do not fit well with current farming practices and agricultural standards and are not supported by an ecosystem of stakeholders.
ROBS4CROPS will tackle technical challenges by creating a robotic farming solution that consists of three elements: smart implements, autonomous vehicles, and the farming controller. Existing agricultural implements and tractors will be upgraded so that they can function, together with existing agricultural robots, as parts of a robotic system. Development and testing will take place in real farming environments (real operating conditions), in four countries, in iterative cycles, and in close collaboration with stakeholders.
ROBS4CROPS will tackle non-technical challenges by using existing agricultural standards, by utilizing existing machinery (thus lowering the initial investment needed), and by addressing the lack of maintenance, insurance, financing and training. Compliance with regulations, robo-ethics and socio-economic impact will be explicitly addressed. Robotics offers an opportunity to develop novel business models. Building the ecosystem for agricultural robotics will take place iteratively, in parallel with technical development. The complete robotic system (technical and non-technical) will be demonstrated at scale in pilots in four European countries.
Champ scientifique
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringvehicle engineeringautomotive engineeringautonomous vehicles
- social scienceseconomics and businessbusiness and managementbusiness models
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystems
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculture
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringrobotics
Mots‑clés
Programme(s)
Régime de financement
IA - Innovation actionCoordinateur
6708 PB Wageningen
Pays-Bas