AI real-time weed detection reduces chemical spraying in the smart farming industry
PROBLEM
Feeding 9 billion people in 2050 will require making agriculture more productive and efficient but in the same time 24,000 billion kilos of fertile soil disappear every year, that is to say approximately 76 tons of arable land lost every second due to desertification. The excessive use of chemical products is one of the causes of soil desertification.
So to feed humanity, it is not so much a question of growing more food as of growing it better.
Smart farming already uses technology to increase crop production: drones, thermal cameras and other IoT moisture sensors are already part of the daily life of farmers around the world.
With the explosion of data coming from these tools, the use of machine learning and deep learning is becoming essential to analyze it and help farmers make the right decisions.
SOLUTION
CarbonBee's technology called SmartStriker is an embedded solution installed on agricultural sprayers, robots, or other agricultural equipment, which is able to discern weeds from the crop, and detect diseases or other crop stress, and control sprayer to apply chemical only where it is needed.
At the heart of the SmartStriker™ solution is the Artificial Intelligence core based on Deep Learning. Its patented technology allows it to learn (weeds, diseases, stress…) with a reduced training set.
The solution is composed by:
Sensors
Picture quality of several million pixels combined with a measurement accuracy in RGB, IR and Hyperspectral giving it a high analytical capacity. Each Sensor includes the same artificial intelligence engine and knowledge bases for fast and accurate real-time analysis. Detections of weeds, stress and diseases are geo-referenced by each Sensor.
A controller
In charge of collecting and gathering the detections of each connected Sensor, it controls in real time the targeted weeding action and creates the final map that can be used offline.
A display
A real control console for the entire SmartStriker™ solution allowing farmers to choose crop, weeds by family or species you want to target. The console is installed in the cabin, connected to the Controller.
This technology measured up to 95% chemical saving for the same treatment quality.
Cellular IoT connectivity combined with AI in the Smart Farming industry help reducing chemical spraying
A challenging IoT project at scale in a rugged environment
As sustainable agriculture is a global concern, CarbonBee’s technology aims to be deployed worldwide so it needs to rely on the best cellular coverage.
GLOBAL NETWORK
As a Webbing’s reseller, Move & Connect provides a multi-carrier cellular technology to ensure that even the most remote field have an internet access. With 200 countries covered through 650 roaming agreements we never leave anyone behind.
RELIABLE IOT CONNECTIVITY IN A RUGGED ENVIRONMENT
As a farm field can generate vibrations, CarbonBee is integrating Gemalto MFF2 form factor M2M SIM Cards designed for rugged environment. As well as our triple-cut IoT SIM Cards, the MFF2 form factor IoT SIM Cards are eUICC-enabled which means you can add, remove, customize, or switch connectivity profiles remotely anytime, anywhere.
DASHBOARDS TO TRACK INSIGHTFUL DATAS OF THOUSANDS OF DEVICES AROUND THE WORLD
Carbonbee’s device and Move & Connect ’s data dashboards seamlessly work together to help farmers to take care of their crop.
TRANSPARENT CELLULAR IOT PRICING WITHOUT COMMITMENT
Most SIM cards and IoT data plans begin charging for data usage as soon as they are shipped. But thanks to Move & Connect, there is no charge until SIM Cards are deployed on the field even if they sit idle for months.
No matter where the device is powered on, the M2M sim Card will fetch the matching IoT data plan regarding its location.
Gérald Germain CEO-Founder says "Thanks to Move&Connect, our systems are completely connected, regardless of the country of operation, simply, and without surprises, allowing us to have full access to our entire fleet, for data feedback, as well as quality maintenance."
Conclusion
From cows to horses, then from tractors to robots: the farming industry is on the verge of a technological transformation, this time introduced by artificial intelligence.
Guided by artificial intelligence technologies, robots are expected to free farmers from repetitive and tedious tasks, while ensuring better incomes. This is also what smart and sustainable agriculture is all about.
