Project: GPS technology to automate farming equipment and processes
Device Type
The device used for this client is based on a Navigation GPS receiver.
Our involvement in this project was the design, implementation, testing and validation of a platform integrating the GPS receiver and a fleet of tractors. The integrated device provides guidance and steering in various field procedures such as plowing, sowing, chemical treatment of crops, harvesting.
Use
Precision Agriculture Technologies assists the agriculture end user to enhance planting and seeding operation. This allows for increased productivity and profitability.
It also reduces the waste in several aspects of the agricultural process.
How we help
Our intimate knowledge of GPS technologies combined with our expertise in software architecture and development processes allowed us to provide a comprehensive solution up to the deployment of the integrated device in the field.
We worked very closely with a globally distributed team at Trimble Navigation and the Tractor Manufacturer client in Germany.
Project: Sexual Pheromones based pest control:
First a brief description of what pheromones are:
Pheromones are chemicals serving as signal mechanisms.
Pheromones have a range of critical functions, including signaling danger, marking territory, signaling a food source or route towards a food source, warning other animals to stay away, triggering sexual arousal and attraction and reinforcing bond to offspring.
Device Types
The delivery mechanism of these sexual pheromones is the release of products contained in a canister.
Based on this existing delivery mechanism we designed the hardware, the firmware and the backend software.
Some of the high points of the requirement for this system is that the resulting system needs to be date and time aware as the product delivered is only effective at certain periods of the year.
It is also dependent on the location in the world where it is deployed.
Ambient temperature is also critical for the success of the campaign.
Use
The end user is, in this case, a farmer or a grower of certain fruits. Crops in these cases are challenged by the presence of certain “Pests” which need to be controlled.
The system we designed is entirely automatic and does not required any intervention of the end user once it is deployed in the field.
How we help
Comprehensive hardware and firmware solution design.
Since the power consumption of the device should be small enough for the device to operate without degradation for over a year, the choice of MCU and other hardware components were instrumental in the success of our design.
We also have closely assisted our client with the production of 250,000 devices. Production is done at an offshore location.
