From Drones to iPhones: Digital Farming with Aerobotics
How AI-Powered Fruit Sizing & Handheld Technologies Are Changing the Game for Producers
A quick recap (some news?) from the world of Aerobotics!
For those of you who are regular readers, you will know that I’m a massive fan. And it’s no different today.
Below are my key takeaways + a few insights I have from my perspective, based on a recent article published on hortidaily.com
Transitioning from Drones to Handheld Devices:
Aerobotics has expanded from drone-based plant digitisation to using iPhones, enabling precision monitoring in not only open fields but greenhouses and netted environments through its industry leading TrueFruit technology.
"Drones are excellent for large-scale mapping, but they have limitations, especially under netting or in greenhouses," Liaan Janse van Vuuren, Aerobotics's Head Agronomist explains. "That's why we moved to iPhones for TrueFruit - it allows us to work in protected environments like greenhouses and tunnels."
A new focus on the Blueberry Industry & Expansion Potential:
The company furthermore provides growers with insights into fruit size distribution, optimising yield and profitability. There are rough plans to apply its technology to strawberries, tomatoes, and similar greenhouse crops - the possibilities are enticing, and the value-add for producers significant.TrueFruit for Precision Agriculture:
The AI-powered TrueFruit system uses iPhone Pro series devices to measure fruit size with 1mm accuracy, without the use of physical instruments other than the iPhone. This new way of measuring crops offers an ease of use not seen before, and valuable data for export markets where size uniformity is crucial.
Marketing Decision Support Through AI:
TrueFruit's capabilities extend beyond sizing to grading fruit based on colour and blemishes (in essence: quality & grade), helping growers make informed harvesting and market-readiness decisions.Global Reach & Grower Support:
Operating worldwide, Aerobotics focuses on accessibility, providing high-impact software solutions, while empowering producers in leverage digital tools for improved farm management and profitability at scale.
Drone-powered Supercharge:
The amazing benefits of the TrueFruit tech, such as increased efficiencies in-field leading to larger datasets with fewer errors… gets even better with the addition of drone survey information - something the Aerobotics team has become well know for.
Drone data metrics are used to AI-generate sample points in orchards according to either a customer or recommended set of protocols, whereby app users are guided to the most representative plants in the orchard, greenhouse, or vineyard.
"When you understand your fruit size, you understand your trees' energy output. In export markets, where size consistency is crucial, our technology provides a competitive edge." - Liaan Janse van Vuuren
