How do you supply the right amount of water to a plant in the greenhouse? Sensors can be of valuable assistance. With an ingenious system, you can map out the specific need for water for each plant.
SenseNL develops and supplies wireless sensors for measurements around the plant roots, in the soil or substrate mat. This allows to gain precise insight into what a plant needs. These measurements are of help to growers to optimise water use, enhance crop quality and achieve larger production.
Currently, the (CARA MET) sensors use a LoRaWAN module for wireless communication. Although this technique performs properly, multiple base stations are required for coverage over a larger area. In addition, wireless updates take a lengthy time due to the limited bandwidth of LoRaWAN.
The goal of this project is to replace the current communication module with a 5G module. That will increase the range of the sensors, so fewer base stations will be needed to communicate with the cloud. Future firmware updates can also be performed faster. Furthermore, 5G allows for new features and applications in the future with the sensors. Think of algorithm-based crop prediction and making these predictions increasingly accurate.
This project is enabled by MRDH (Rotterdam The Hague Metropolitan Region) and the Province of Zuid Holland.
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For many organisations in horticulture, gaining valuable insights into work processes is fundamental to continuous improvement and meeting industry standards. With this goal in mind, Opus Solutions B.V. has developed the OPUS watch, a smart watch specifically for this sector. However, the connectivity required to track activities isn’t always guaranteed in environments dominated by extensive glass and metal structures, such as greenhouses.
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Technological progress in recent years does not yet solve the labour shortage in greenhouse farming. The introduction of 5G is expected to accelerate innovation for sustainable food supply while stimulating more efficient cultivation. For instance, plant health is currently still mainly assessed by the human eye. Delft startup Plense Technologies wants to improve cultivation quality with their ultrasound sensors.
Delft based startup PATS is developing insect monitoring and bio-inspired control systems for greenhouse horticulture. Pest insects in a greenhouse can disturb plant growth or even be a threat to crop yields. Yet, in a healthy ecosystem, some insects can specifically be helpful. Therefore, distinguishing one from the other is preferable, to deploy the appropriate control measure. The aim of this project is to investigate how 5G can contribute to establish fast, reliable connections and improvement in data management.