Robotics leads a revolution on the farm, explains HELUKABEL

Robotics, digitalization, and vertical and precision agriculture can improve yields, says HELUKABEL. Source: Adobe Stock

The agriculture industry is faced with tremendous changes driven by climate change, a growing global population, and the increasing scarcity of resources such as water and farmable land. In order to tackle these challenges, the industry is relying on technical innovation. Trends such as precision farming, digitalization, and robotics are intended to help farmers produce more bountiful harvests more efficiently and sustainably, noted HELUKABEL GmbH.

Oliver Adler is area sales manager and global segment manager at the Hemmingen, Germany-based connectors and machinery company. Below, he examines new agricultural technologies and their potential, as well as what challenges still need to be overcome.

Automated help comes to the field and the barn

Robots are well on their way to playing an essential role in agriculture. They are already being used in many tasks, including weeding, seeding, manure management, or milking operations, noted Adler.

And they are often able to perform these tasks more efficiently, precisely, and economically than human workers. The support of AI-based systems makes them even more effective, as it allows them to make decisions in real time.

“For the agriculture industry, robotics is an immense help,” said Adler. “Ultimately, the shortage of skilled workers in the industry is steadily worsening. Robots are a means to counter this. They are also able to work around the clock and the quality of their work is consistently high.”

Many farmers, however, have yet to accept the assistance of robots, which must also be designed to be flexible enough to react to unpredictable conditions out in the open. There is also legal footing regulating the use of autonomous machines on farm fields, which is a heavily discussed topic in the industry.

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Precision farming promises higher efficiency

Precision agriculture is one of the most important trends in modern agricultural technology. The idea is that farmers use digital technologies and data analysis to optimize their production processes down to the smallest details.

To this end, a wide range of information on factors such as soil condition, moisture, or crop health is collected with the help of GPS, sensors, and drones.

Based on this information, agricultural land can be cultivated zone by zone, and valuable resources such as water, fertilizer, and plant protection can be used more purposefully and therefore more sparingly.

“The advantages of precision farming are obvious,” Adler asserted. “Being able to precisely control agricultural processes increases performance and yield while minimizing the use of resources. This in turn reduces the impact on the environment and simultaneously saves on costs.”

The acquisition of modern machines and digital infrastructures presents steep upfront costs, but these pay for themselves after only a short while, he added.

Technical proficiency is another hurdle for the industry, according to Adler. Farmers must learn new skills such as how to interpret data and how to operate new tools. Yet even here, the advantages significantly outweigh the negatives.

Digitalization can make agricultural tech more intelligent

The fundamental prerequisite for precision farming and many other innovations in agriculture is digitalization, which has made substantial advances in the field of agricultural technology.

Agricultural machines and devices are increasingly fitted with sensors, controls, and software. These devices are constantly connected and transmitting data to be analyzed. This makes it possible for a number of processes to be monitored and optimized.

For example, farmers are able to get real-time information on the status of their fields, the weather, or the market prices of products. This can lead to greatly increased efficiency and a reduced environmental impact.

Oliver Adler is an agriculture technology expert. Source: HELUKABEL

“One of the greatest challenges in digitalizing agricultural machines is integrating different systems,” explained Adler. “Having uniform communications standards, which are used by all manufacturers, would help resolve this issue. Time and time again, this inconsistency between features leads to challenges.”

To address this issue, HELUKABEL is involved with the Agricultural Electronics Foundation (AEF), an independent organization composed of manufacturers of agricultural technology and other associations.

Since 2008, the foundation has been working to improve compatibility between electrical and electronic components in agricultural devices such as tractors and harvesters, as well as machinery for the forestry sector. Its goal is to promote the electrification and digitalization of the agriculture industry.

One of the most important players in this collaborative effort is the ISOBUS standard, a globally standardized system for the transmission of energy and data in agricultural machinery. Hybrid ISOBUS cables are primarily used to connect tractors to their attachments. This uniform standard allows farmers to quickly and easily connect machines from different manufacturers, control them from the same terminal, and thereby work more efficiently.

“The HELUKABEL portfolio contains especially robust ISOBUS cables with PVC or PUR sheathing that ensures reliable communication and the transmission of energy, rain or shine, dust or grime,” Adler added.

The next generation of technology with vastly improved data transmission rates is waiting in the wings with High-Speed ISOBUS (HSI). HELUKABEL said it has already developed and successfully tested the necessary cables for this technology.

Vertical farming brings agriculture to tight spaces

Cultivation and livestock farming have traditionally required large amounts of space, which, in our modern world, is becoming increasingly rare.

One promising solution for this is vertical farming. This cultivation technique makes it possible to use unconventional areas, such as urban spaces, for agriculture. Plants are grown in multi-story, vertical growth greenhouses, which are often constructed either in or near cities.

These closed systems function independently from climatic conditions and allow for year-round production. Intelligent lighting, sensor-controlled watering, and automatic fertilization turn these farms into high-tech factories.

“We have already supplied a number of these vertical farms with our products,” reported Adler.

These factories require a host of different cables for transmitting energy and data. This includes supplying energy to lights and climate-control units, automation and conveyor technology, and for the exchange of information between sensors and control systems.

“Vertical farming allows for the space-saving cultivation of crops under controlled conditions and in close proximity to customers,” the HELUKABEL expert explained. “Even water usage is up to 95% lower compared with classical agriculture.”

However, even in vertical farming, significant investments in new technologies and a constant, reliable supply of energy are required.

The agriculture industry has multiple innovations to adopt, says HELUKABEL. Source: Adobe Stock

Agrivoltaics: Solar energy for the agriculture industry

The use of agricultural spaces for producing solar energy, which is called agrivoltaics, is becoming more and more popular in the industry. For this, specially fitted solar modules are installed above the fields so that farmers can simultaneously produce energy while planting crops beneath.

In addition, these photovoltaic systems can protect the plants from intense solar radiation and overheating. This dual-purpose use can dramatically increase the productivity of agricultural spaces, Adler said. Agrivoltaics can also support the local power grid, which is incredibly advantageous for isolated areas or regions with unreliable power supplies.

With its SOLARFLEX series, HELUKABEL has cables specifically designed for the cabling of solar modules. They are resistant to weathering, UV radiation, and other environmental influences, and are even available with optional rodent protection. It said these cables are thus suitable for agricultural use.

Farms transform with new ideas, says HELUKABEL

The agriculture industry finds itself in the middle of a dramatic transformation, said HELUKABEL. New technologies such as precision farming, vertical farming, agrivoltaics, and robots can supply the industry with the solutions the growing number of challenges it is facing.

Sensors, drones, and the right data can improve farm productivity, says HELUKABEL. Credit: Adobe Stock, Deivis Aronaitis

The results of adopting them would be more efficient and sustainable production methods that meet the needs of a growing global population and help address the effects of climate change, the company said.

Electrification, digitalization, and automation are the basic ingredients required to put these innovations in agricultural technology into practice. While this means that businesses may have to make considerable investments, they will pay for themselves in the middle and long term because of their enormous potential for increased efficiency, claimed HELUKABEL.

For companies, this also means they are occasionally required to make considerable investments, which, however, pay for themselves in the middle and long term thanks to their enormous potential for increased efficiency.

As an experienced partner of a number of agricultural technology manufacturers, HELUKABEL said it has an extensive portfolio of electrical connection technologies that are specifically designed for the particular conditions of the industry. The company offers cables, wires, and accessories to ensure the reliable transmission of data and energy, thereby playing their part in preparing the industry for the future.

Editor’s note: This article is reposted from POWER No. 16 with permission.

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