To help ensure the success of this first-time event, FIRA partnered with Gabriel Youtsey, Chief Innovation Officer at University of California, Agriculture, and Natural Resources, and Walt Duflock, Vice President of Innovation at Western Growers. Youtsey and Duflock, who are working to provide “boots on the ground” support for the forthcoming three-day conference, see great potential in spotlighting agriculture robotics and automation in a place where it’s sorely needed.

“We really wanted to bring a FIRA event to the US because the US market for specialty crop AgTech startups is the first or second market to enter so it makes perfect sense to have this event right in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley. FIRA USA organizes the entire specialty crop community – educators, commercialization folks, startup companies, and large and small growers—and puts the entire event focus on specialty crop automation for three days,”

says Duflock.

The specialty crop piece of the equation is particularly important because it is an industry segment that has much to gain from ag robotics and automation. Specialty crops, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture defines as “fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits and horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture,” tend to be more labor-intensive to produce and pick, and require more sophisticated technological solutions.

Duflock and Western Growers are working to advance the pace of innovation in this sector through the Global Harvest Automation Initiative. One of the initiative’s action items is to automate 50 percent of fresh specialty crop harvest production in the next 10 years.

For his part, Youtsey is focused on attaining similar goals by ensuring the event addresses the agriculture industry’s most pressing topics in a substantive, no-nonsense way. FIRA USA is built to be a place for developing real-world solutions.

“I firmly believe we should always put agtech startups on stage with a grower that knows their product, unless it’s a fundraising pitch or in demo day. Engaging the grower in the conversation helps the conversation get real and makes the presentation more relevant for grower audiences that want to get the grower and startup perspective on the solution. Farmers can see the holes and recognize the gaps in the technology, and those things get called out with grace. It also gives the startup a chance to address those concerns in a real-world context,”

Youtsey says.

To keep the event focused on actionable outcomes, FIRA USA is structured to maximize opportunities for networking, learning, and collaboration. Each of the three days has a theme. There is a research-and-development day, technology day, and demonstration day. The event will begin with a keynote that centers on the future of California agriculture, common industry challenges, and the need for automation. This sets the stage for the remainder of the event’s programming to address solutions.

“On the R&D day, we’re going to bring a lot of the scientists and students together. There are a lot of new ag technologists in universities around the country that are winning some of the new artificial intelligence grants for ag automation. We want to use this event as an opportunity to bring them together face-to-face in Fresno and really set their priorities. We want to get them focused on solving some pain points that are still problematic and developing,”

Youtsey says.

“The technology day would all be focused on growers, equipment manufacturers, and investors working on commercializing and scaling the technologies discussed on day one. Then, the third day will be a demo day, where we see current technologies operating,”

Youtsey continues.

In the panel discussions, breakout sessions, and roundtables throughout the event, the participants will build on several big-picture themes: understanding specific specialty crops, introducing different levels of automation and smart technologies, optimizing mechanization, prioritizing value for growers of all sizes, addressing climate-smart objectives, determining appropriate ownership and maintenance models, and more.

Another big draw will be the in-depth look at the Global Harvest Automation Report, which dives into the state of harvest automation technology today. The report also names the startups that are doing the work to move the needle faster and most effectively based on crop type, giving growers and investors an inside look at where to potentially spend their dollars.

Combined with the other event programming, Youtsey and Duflock agree that FIRA USA will be an information-packed event for everyone.

“Attendees are going to be able to join the first ag robotics and automation event that focuses on specialty crops that we know of. It’ll have the right mix of growers, technologists, academics, and scientists in one place to really advance the ag-tech innovations a lot faster,”

Youtsey says.

Duflock agrees. In fact, he’s so sure the event will be revolutionary that he’s beginning negotiations with the weather gods ahead of time.

“I can say with certainty that October 1st through the 20th will be the only time when Western Growers roots against rain because it’ll make a sloppy mess out of our field trial day. Regardless, if you want the scoop on specialty crop innovations from the research phase in the labs to the commercialization and field trials, and you want to get all of it in three days, you’ve got to be in Fresno.”

Duflock laughs, saying that outside of this specific window, the organization hopes for rain year-round.

Source: FIRA

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The sixth edition of the event was packed with announcements, including the presentation of new models of agricultural robots, the launch of the “AgRobotics Land” territorial brand, two awards for agricultural robotics young companies and start-ups, and two save-the-dates: the official launch of FIRA USA 2022 in October and World FIRA 2022 in December.

New models of agricultural robots at World FIRA 2021

The World FIRA is now a reference event for the announcement of new robot models by manufacturers. Thus, the company Naïo Technologies presented its brand new robot model: Orio. Intended for field crops, Orio’s main functions are seeding and hoeing.

For its part, the Danish manufacturer Agrointelli unveiled its new model Robotti LR – Long Range. Its greater autonomy and its unique engine, which uses space in the modules, for a diesel tank with a capacity of 330 liters, allow the robot to operate up to 60 hours without stopping before refueling.

As for Exxact Robotics, the French company presented its compact single-row straddle robot, Traxx, while the Rennes-based start-up Tibot Technologie presented the T-MOOV, a poultry robot with a redesigned design to meet the needs expressed by its network of more than 200 breeders who already use the Spoutnic robot.

This year, two awards were held during World FIRA.

First, the second edition of the Best Field Robot Concept 2021 (BFRC), co-organized by FIRA and Future Farming magazine announced the following winners:

• Category « Specialised » : Bale Hawk de Vermeer,
• Category « Multipurpose »: Roboter de Horsch,
• Category « Harvesting » : Eve de Ripe Robotics.

A jury of international experts selected their concepts from among the most promising robot concepts that have been covered on www.futurefarming.com in the past 12 months and those that responded to a call from FIRA and Future Farming.

At the Best Innovative Ag Robotics Startup 2021 Award, E-Terry was awarded the top prize.
The German startup was awarded for its technology, business model, market potential, and
team, among 11 startups that pitched to investors on December 7 during the World FIRA.

The new « AgRobotics Land » brand says “Bonjour” to Agricultural Robots The World FIRA 2021 was also an opportunity to present the new “AgRobotics Land” territorial brand. Inaugurated on December 7, AgRobotics Land embodies the dynamics of southeast Toulouse and its region, a center of gravity for agricultural robotics open to the French and international ecosystem. A mapping of the expertise offered by the region was presented on a dedicated stand.

About thirty agricultural robot demos

So many automated functionalities are present at World FIRA 2021. A series of workshops also provided an opportunity to take stock of the various autonomous solutions available to producers.

Livestock farming was well represented with Lely and its startups Datamole, Ilmens and
Cynomis, as well as poultry robots from Tibot and Octopus Biosafety. A workshop dedicated to harvesting and picking solutions was also a hit, with the new broccoli picking robot from Agrointelli, or the presentation of robots from Advanced. farm and Harvest CROO Robotics.

3rd Scientific Workshop by RobAgri and INRAe, in collaboration with Wageningen U&R and the University of California

For its 3rd edition, the International Scientific Workshop aims to exchange scientific
progress allowing robots to become an efficient tool for farmers.

Moderated by Roland Lenain, Director of Research at INRAE, a dozen projects were
presented in three main sessions:

• The decision of a mobile robot for adaptation to a variable context and task
• Autonomous navigation for the farm
• Interaction with farmers and acceptability of robotics

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• The movable battery contained within the robot, adjusting the balance of the vehicle for real-time response to the weight of attachments and changing field conditions.
• An adjustable wheelbase designed to accommodate traversing different row widths.

The movable battery container leverages the weight of the batteries to maintain balance in the field during operations and taking advantage of the small size of the vehicle. Although the weight of the ermmi vehicle is light, owing to its aluminum frame, the vehicle is designed to accommodate heavy front-loaded weights of heavy attachments by dynamically adjusting the battery contained within the body of the vehicle, moving it forward, and backward within the vehicle in order to maintain stability. In real field conditions where an implement can create drag on the vehicle as it moves through a field, the vehicle can adjust in real-time so that the vehicle maintains a level operation.

The adjustable wheelbase allows the robotic vehicle to move while straddling rows of planted crops of varying widths. Row widths are commonly set based on the type of crop, making a fixed dimension a constraint for most robots. In contrast, ermmi can accommodate different field conditions and therefore is suitable for a wide variety of crops and fields.

Designed as a robot to carry out specific tasks commonly found in small farm operations, the company intends the robot to appeal to small farm operators. It will carry a price point well below those of robots made for large farms. In designing the robot, simplicity of operation and control were key elements.

Jeff Chandler, CEO of Easton Robotics stated,

“Our goal is to offer farm operators a product family that works for real farms, not just huge fields of pristine crops in wide rows. Smaller farm operators practicing no-till farming, with crops in densely planted rows, and working in parcels under twenty acres cannot use what I see being designed at the top end of the market.  Our goal is to offer solutions to the rest of the farmers in the world.”

By combining the base autonomous ground vehicle with task-specific arms and implements, the ermmi (patent pending) system will address farm operators’ needs in a flexible and affordable way.

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FIRA Open Day 2021: the American market and machine automation from John Deere, AGCO, and CNH Industrial

The FIRA Open Day brought together 1000 participants last April 15 to discover new agricultural robot demos and presentations (Monarch Tractor, Earth Rover, Ambit Robotics, Naio Technologies, SITIA, VitiBot…).

It was also an opportunity to explore the state-of-the-art of automation projects of the main tractor manufacturers, with the participation of Kent Brown, Senior Product Manager – Harvesting Automation at John Deere, Andrew Sunderman, Senior Manager, Global Farming Solutions at AGCO Corporation, and Brett McClelland, Product Manager – Precision Agriculture from CNH Industrial (in a debate led by David Frabotta from the American agricultural media group Meister Media).

Finally, a roundtable provided an update on the progress, needs, and challenges of agricultural robot development in the United States. Around the table were gathered Praveen Penmetsa, CEO of Monarch Tractor, Gabriel Youtsey, CIO of the University of California, Walt Duflock, VP of innovation of Western Growers and Alain Pincot, director of Betteravia Farms (in a debate led by Julie Peyrache, Investment Manager for the CAPAGRO investment fund).

World FIRA 2021, December 7 – 9: one hybrid event, two experiences

As the health situation tends to offer better days for on-site events, FIRA plans to reopen to the public in Toulouse (France), while keeping its virtual event as its main format: all in parallel over 3 days of conferences, demos, exhibitions, and business.

The idea behind this virtual format is to offer a double experience to the participants, that is, the possibility to choose to participate online-only, or also in person. They will be able to plan business meetings in advance and enjoy the double experience, with their meetings held directly on-site, or by videoconference with a participant on the other side of the world. As for the speeches, most of them will take place in the amphitheaters of the Congress Center, and will be broadcast live on the online platform.

The theme of this 6th edition, “When the farmers take over robots!” addresses the current challenges of the sector. The objective is to make the farmer an active participant in the reception of his robots from their design to their handling and to meet concretely his daily needs. FIRA USA 2022, in partnership with the University of California and the United States, (particularly California) represent a market that is both mature and sufficiently technophile to support the growth of agricultural robotics.

This is one of the reasons why FIRA chose this part of the world for its first regional edition. With numerous locally-based partners, such as WGA – Growers Western, many manufacturers and producers, and agricultural media, GOFAR consolidated ties with the University of California, the local operator, and co-organizer of FIRA USA 2022 which should be held on-site in March 2022.

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Addressing various global markets, SBG Systems masters the whole manufacturing chain from the strict selection of sensors to the rigorous calibration process of assembled units.

SBG Systems announced last June the third generation of its popular line of miniature inertial sensors called the Ellipse Series, a perfect match for autonomous navigation in precision agriculture.

SBG Systems is pleased to announce its participation in FIRA virtual event, the leading event for professionals in the agricultural robotics sector. As this year FIRA is turning virtual, the event will enable us to showcase the solutions simultaneously to the entire autonomous agriculture community worldwide.

SBG Systems introduce the new Ellipse-D during FIRA, the most advanced miniature inertial sensors for navigation and motion sensing, and the world smallest Inertial Navigation System integrating a Dual-antenna, multi-band GNSS receiver and odometry. Thus, being capable of delivering accurate heading as well as precise centimeter-level positioning in the most challenging GNSS conditions.

The cost-effective sensor provides attitude, heading as well as navigation outputs via a variety of interfaces including a CAN BUS, and will seamlessly integrate into all vehicles thanks to its full-featured ROS driver. The unit comes with a choice of dynamic motion profiles well-suited to “off-road” applications.

All these features make the Ellipse-D the perfect match to provide robust navigation for your ag robot

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