Use case 6: Automatic soil sample collection and field analysis in Switzerland
Overview:
In Switzerland, this use case focuses on testing an advanced, automated soil-sampling system. The robot will autonomously collect soil samples from high-value crops, improving precision in soil health monitoring and reducing manual labour. The goal is to enhance fertilisation and soil management practices by providing farmers with more accurate and timely data on soil conditions.
Challenges:
- Designing a lightweight, durable drilling system capable of handling various soil types without disrupting the environment.
- Ensuring accurate, contamination-free soil sample collection with the ability to process a high density of samples per hectare.
- Developing an efficient sample transportation system to the field lab while preserving sample integrity during transport.
- Integrating multiple technologies such as real-time data acquisition, drone mapping, and automatic soil sample delivery.
Smart Farming Applications involved:
- Variable-rate liming
- Variable-rate seeding
Expected Outcomes:
- A lightweight, robotic soil-sampling system capable of reaching depths of up to 60 cm with minimal environmental impact.
- High-quality, accurate soil samples comparable to those collected manually.
- Faster, more efficient soil sampling and analysis, enabling farmers to make informed fertilisation decisions and better manage their soil health.
- A novel data collection and processing system that generates high-resolution soil homogeneity maps for enhanced agricultural planning.