Last week, Professor Rafael Garcia and Dr. Hassan Hayat, postdoctoral researcher at Vicorob, attended the 11th launch workshop of the EIG CONCERT-Japan joint call “Digital Transformations and Robotics in Sustainable Agriculture”, organized by DLR Projektträger in Bonn, Germany.
The workshop brought together all the research teams whose projects were selected in this call, focusing on robotics and digital technologies for sustainable agriculture. MULTIFUSE, a project with participation from Vicorob, is one of the six funded projects addressing how robotics and digital technologies can support more sustainable agricultural practices.
This first meeting provided a valuable opportunity to network with other international teams, exchange perspectives, and start shaping collaboration between European and Japanese partners.
Robotics and digital technologies for sustainable agriculture
On January 31, 2025, the EIG CONCERT-Japan initiative announced the six selected projects of its 11th joint call on digital transformations and robotics in sustainable agriculture.
MULTIFUSE: artificial intelligence for plant stress detection
The MULTIFUSE project focuses on advanced multimodal sensing and data fusion for early digital detection of plant stress symptoms.
By combining data from various optical sensors, the research trains artificial intelligence to detect plant stress, such as water deficiency or infection, at a physiological level before it becomes visible to the human eye.
Other projects in robotics and agriculture
The six selected projects address sustainable agriculture through robotics, artificial intelligence, and digital technologies:
- HydroNPK-AI focuses on AI-enhanced NPK management for optimized hydroponic cultivation. Using real-time artificial intelligence, the system manages nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in hydroponic setups to maximize yield while reducing chemical runoff.
- DRAGONS develops drones equipped with robotic arms to autonomously collect plant samples such as leaves or fruit from complex vineyard canopies.
- DEMETER builds adaptive pruning robots through simulation, artificial intelligence, and intuitive teleoperation, allowing human experts to remotely guide robotic systems.
- DYNA-GROW focuses on dynamic lighting management systems and sustainable energy solutions for smart crop production, integrating renewable energy with intelligent lighting.
- Supporting Digital Solutions develops a framework to support the demonstration of sustainable digital solutions for agriculture and enable collaboration between Japanese and European startups.
Social sustainability in agriculture
In both Japan and Europe, the average farmer is over 60 years old. These projects aim to make agriculture physically easier and more attractive to younger generations through robotics and digital technologies.
International collaboration in robotics and sustainable agriculture
The workshop in Bonn marked the beginning of collaboration between the selected teams, enabling them to connect, exchange perspectives, and start working together in the field of robotics and sustainable agriculture.
Vicorob’s participation in MULTIFUSE is part of this international effort to explore how robotics and digital technologies can support more sustainable agricultural practices.
