AGRI-TECH
AGRICULTURE 4.0
WWW.MADEIN.IE
« JULY 2020 « 19
work-life balance of a farmer.
DC motors are a vital component for
many agriculture applications, off ering
the most effi cient form of motion,
particularly when solar and battery
power is utilised. maxon drives are relied
on even under the most challenging
conditions – for example, they have been
in use on Mars for years. maxon DC
motors not only do their job in space,
but they also function in tough
agricultural conditions fl awlessly and
effi ciently.
Smart farming, precision
agriculture and Agriculture
4.0 involve the integration
of advanced technologies
into existing farming
architecture to increase
production effi ciency and product
quality, as well as reducing overall
costs. Inclusion of Smart technologies
into Irish agriculture is inevitable with
increased pressure placed on farming
practices to remain profi table, as well
as adhere to environmental regulation.
The global Smart Agriculture Solution
Market stood at a revenue of around
US$10.2 Billion in 2016 and is projected
to reach a valuation of US$38.1 Billion by
the end of 2024. Growing adoption of
advanced technology in farming, from
agricultural drones, precision seeding
systems, auto-steering, automatic
feeding systems to fruit picking robots,
have incentivised traditional
agri-companies to invest in smart
agriculture solutions. The
deployment of advanced agri-tech
has the potential to allow for
increased focus on non-profi table
tasks, such as farm maintenance
and environmental practices. The
reduction of heavy labour and
tedious tasks can also lead to
improvements in the health and
The use of advanced technologies is transforming the architecture
of agriculture and increasing effi ciency and product quality.
Martin Leahy, maxon Sales Engineer for Ireland, looks at how.
maxon systems, consisting of motors,
gearheads, sensors, batteries and
controllers, constitute the basic building
blocks for complex applications. Our
mobile apps include cloud connectivity
and give our customers access to a range
of functions, including retrieval of current
driving data and positions, customisation
of parameters and fl eet management. All
components are verifi ed by our specialists
and then perfectly matched to each other.
This allows us to off er a system solution
from a single source.
Robots
The Vitirover robot is developed by the
company of the same name, in Saint-
Emilion France. The fully autonomous
lawnmower, powered by solar energy,
eliminates grass and weeds between the
vines in a vineyard, eliminating the need
for costly pesticides. To enable the robots
to navigate hilly terrain, the developers
took some cues from maxon’s experience
with the Mars rovers.
The maxon wheel drive is a compact
solution for Automated Guided Vehicles
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