Italy’s cutting-edge robotics technologies appear to play a key role in driving innovation in Qatar’s agricultural sector, a University of Bologna professor said.
According to Lorenzo Marconi, Italy and Qatar will benefit from the sharing of best practices and expertise, as well as in the field of research and development (R&D), especially between the universities of the two countries. Marconi, who is also co-founder of Italian company FieldRobotics, made the statement on the sidelines of EIMA International 2024, which runs until November 10 at the Bologna Exhibition Center.
Marconi and his team are attending EIMA to showcase the “HammerHead,” an autonomous ground vehicle designed for agricultural applications in orchards, vineyards and even remote environments with poor GPS signals.
The HammerHead debuted in Qatar in early 2024 at the 2023 Doha Qatar International Horticultural Exhibition, where Marconi showcased the revolutionary autonomous field robot’s versatile applications in agriculture and its potential uses in other industries.
Asked about a potential collaboration between FieldRobotics and Qatar’s private and academic sector, Marconi said: “I absolutely see a future in strong synergy with the University of Bologna and foreign universities.
“This is only the first step, as it is necessary to continue creating applications, sensors, algorithms and other tools. And all this kind of improvement requires education, training and support from universities and research centers. So it is very important to have a close bond between them,” Marconi told Gulf Times.
When the HammerHead demonstrated its capabilities at Expo 2023 in Doha, it was still a prototype, Marconi explained. He highlighted that the robot has undergone further improvements in the production line, as well as safety certifications, making it a reliable industrial product.
Marconi emphasized that the HammerHead is like a small tractor, to which its users can attach or plug in any type of conventional or even futuristic tools aimed at introducing robotics and industrial automation to the field, and not just indoors. The company has put a lot of emphasis and effort into creating a reliable, robust and attractive platform to enable all of these technologies outdoors, Marconi said.
The HammerHead is equipped with AI algorithms, cameras, laser scanners and sensor fusion for robust environmental mapping and precise autonomous navigation, Marconi said, further describing it as a “perfect example of a mechatronic system.” .
With the latest improvements to the HammerHead, Marconi said the robot has been integrated with tools for mechanical weeding, spraying, pruning, data collection and other elaborations, among other features.
To adapt to Qatar’s desert climate, the HammerHead can be equipped with many other tools for soil management, data collection and counting of fruit or canopy density, as well as for plant management. irrigation, treatments and soil management, among other applications.
“For robot applications in Qatar, we can embed many other tools… if ever the resources are not enough or must be managed precisely, it is a machine that can enable this type of solution,” underlined Marconi. .
He also said: “The HammerHead is equipped with certain thermal sensors, which could detect whether certain parts of the plant are experiencing water shortage or not, which helps manage limited resources, like water, in a manner very intelligent.
“It can also detect canopy density. This information will allow the sprayer to spray very surgically and precisely without wasting chemicals. This machine allows you to avoid chemical products for anti-weeding because it transforms mechanical weeding into specific weeding. This machine is equipped with a large computer and could be equipped with any type of intelligence imaginable.
Asked about the company’s plans to expand its presence in markets like Qatar, Marconi said the company’s market strategy for 2025 is to expand the platform in Italy and identify international partners there. foreign, such as Qatar.