Food Agility CRC is teaming up with The Yield, Bosch, Yamaha Motor and University Technology Sydney to develop the next generation of automated horticultural technology.
The global collaboration aims to optimise horticultural farming, building smart new robotic solutions that harness artificial intelligence, improve data sharing and enhance data security.
Food Agility CEO Richard Norton said the horticultural farm of the future would be data rich and robot-driven.
“Horticulture has been prime testing ground for innovation in robotics and data analytics over recent years,” Mr Norton said.
“We are taking that to the next level, integrating new types of data into prediction modelling, building new unmanned vehicles and developing new approaches to cybersecurity and data privacy.”
“This collaboration with homegrown talent at The Yield and UTS, along with global technology powerhouses like Yamaha Motor and Bosch, will help take Australian research and innovation to the world.”
The collaboration builds on the announcement in June between The Yield and Yamaha Motor to build new robotic solutions to be piloted at Treasure Wine Estate vineyards in Australia and the US.
Mr Norton said the work was an integral part of Food Agility’s 3 Pillar strategy, which was focussing the CRC’s resources, expertise and networks in three key areas:
1) The Global Digital Farm, at Wagga Wagga, partnering with CSU
2) Horticulture Robotics & AI, partnering with The Yield, Bosch, Yamaha and UTS
3) Carbon Markets and Natural Capital, partnering with NAB and a range of other industry partners including Mars Petcare and Kellogg’s through the Cool Soil Initiative.
