A Spanish company revolutionizes the wine sector with the development of Trimbot, a robot that prunes vines using vision algorithms and artificial intelligence
DigitalizationSustainabilityApril 22, 2020 6020 9 min
Little by little, technology is leaving its mark on agriculture and professionals in the sector are already witnessing its advantages and benefits. Facilitating and improving production processes and saving costs in agricultural activities are the main objectives. To achieve this, advances such as artificial intelligence, drones or sophisticated navigation systems are reaching the countryside. An example of this green revolution is Trimbot. A robot created by the Valladolid company Astiblot, which has revolutionised the wine sector .
Trimbot has marked a turning point in the wine sector. This robot is perfectly suited to vineyards, being able to prune branches thanks to an automated system that uses vision algorithms and artificial intelligence . It imitates the perception of a human and the decisions that they make when making the different cuts in the vineyard to carry out the task with the same precision as a qualified professional.
The creator of Trimbot is Felipe Beteta from La Mancha, who in 2015 created the company with the sole aim of automating vine pruning. “It saves costs, it is 100% electric and works twice as fast as a line data human,” explains Beteta. Without a doubt, it is a revolution in the wine sector that has allowed vineyard efficiency to be improved, productivity to be increased and adaptation to new global challenges in terms of sustainability.
Advantages of technology in agriculture
The application of technological advances in agriculture, such as the use of satellites (satellite photography), drones, sensors, tractors with GPS systems and other advanced agricultural machinery, offers many advantages to farmers and ranchers.
Improves productivity. Precision agriculture is a safe bet for farmers, as it not only increases farm productivity but also allows for total control thanks to the systems used to detect a lack of fertilizers or water, to understand the properties of the soil, to locate diseases and pests, etc.
More efficient and sustainable management. Technological advances applied to the agricultural sector bring with them more efficient crop management. This makes it possible to make production compatible with the environment, achieving better results in terms of productivity, traceability and sustainability.
Cost savings . Technology optimizes the use of resources, leading to cost reduction and contributing to environmental protection.
The Hermi Group, market leader in rabbit meat, is an example of the use of new technologies. This company from Valladolid has revolutionised rabbit farming, giving rise to rabbit farming 4.0 . And they have done so by developing an app that allows rabbit farmers to collect daily production data from farms, manage feed orders and control consumption with the aim of improving farm productivity.
But not all farmers are committed to automating their crops and using new technologies to control them. Many have opted for an agricultural model that generates minimal environmental impact, offers the highest quality of their products and guarantees greater safety for consumers.
An example of environmentally friendly agriculture can be found in the Canary Islands, specifically in Guía de Isora, where farmer Faustino Álvarez Delgado is strongly committed to organic and manual agriculture, free from technology.
A 100% organic production that is cultivated in a completely artisanal way, far from the use of chemicals. Its production is smaller but also more sustainable, higher quality and healthier.
The age of the farmer is not important when applying technology to crops, but millennial farmers are the ones who fully trust in it. They have thus become drivers of this new way of seeing agriculture with a clear objective of seeking a balance between efficiency and sustainability.