Solinftec launches autonomous crop monitoring robot

Solix Ag Robotics will be avaible firstly in Brazil, the United States and Canada. At the Agrishow 2022 in Brazil, Solinftec made a list of interested customers who will be the first to use the robot.

Solix Ag Robotics can capture thousands of images from fields per minute in great detail. After that, the Alice AI platform combines this information with an up-to-date “library” with more than 10 billion images from the field to help producers make decisions. Using that data, the Solix Ag Robotics system tells the farmer when and how to act, from pre-planting to post-harvest, on topics regarding logistics, management, traceability and agronomy.

Alice AI “knows”, for example, the best moment to carry out several operations and helps farmers manage inputs, equipment, machinery and labour with total autonomy, using Solinftec’s own antennas.

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Less chemicals and improved soil health

Solix Ag Robotics is equipped with an “extension” of Alice AI software, which acts as “eyes” of the platform to inspect the crops. The fully autonomous field robot was developed by Solinftec in 3 years. The aim is to reduce the use of chemicals, improve soil health and reduce carbon emissions.

The robot measures 2.5 meters by 2 meters and allows “plant-by-plant” monitoring. This makes it possible to recognise pests in crops more quickly, allowing them to be controlled sooner and with less pesticide use.

Solinftec claims their Solix Ag Robotics system will help growers save 30 per cent on fertiliser and pesticides, and the use of insecticides can even be reduced by 70 per cent when pests are identified more quickly.

Solar-powered

The robot is powered by solar energy. According to Solinftec, one robot is enough for 200 hectares to monitor 14 million plants every week. The company expects the Solix Ag Robotics system to monitor up to 1.5 million hectares of grain per year.

At the end of 2022, the pre-sale of the Solix Ag Robotics system for use in sugarcane is expected to begin. Alice AI is already being used by Solinftec in this crop.