Overview
Vanhoucke is internationally recognized for its innovative machines that combine efficiency and precision in agricultural practice.
Today, Vanhoucke is taking the next step by developing a new generation of AI-powered intra-row hoeing machines. This smart hoe uses cameras, sensors, and AI algorithms to precisely detect the crop plants and remove weeds within and between the crop rows. This makes mechanical weed management economically more competitive compared to herbicide usage.
To realize this innovation, Vanhoucke collaborates with the agrifoodTEF Test and Experiment Facility at ILVO in Flanders. This facility provides support for AI integration, hardware and software testing, and field validation. Through this partnership, Vanhoucke combines its strong mechanical engineering expertise with the latest digital technologies. The result is a future-prove precision implement that saves labour, improves efficiency, and overall supports sustainable farming practices.
The collaboration combines years of experience in mechanization and automation with the latest robotic technologies. It provides access to AI expertise, controlled test infrastructure, and real-world validation, key ingredients for staying competitive in the rapidly evolving smart agricultural machinery market.
Belgium
- Aquaculture
- Arable farming
- Forestry
- Food processing
- Greenhouse
- Horticulture
- Livestock farming
- Tree Crops
- Viticulture
The challenge
Vanhoucke operates in the agricultural machinery sector, producing implements for various crops such as leek, cabbage, celeriac, and fennel. A recurring challenge in mechanical weeding whereby weed removal between the crop plants with minimal crop damage remains challenging.
Agriculture faces labour shortages, increasing market competition, and stricter environmental regulations, leading to a growing demand for automated precision crop farming solutions. To address these challenges, Vanhoucke continuously seeks to integrate innovative technologies into its machines to increase precision, reduce waste, and maintain its position as an innovative player in agricultural machinery.
The agrifoodTEF service
With support from agrifoodTEF at ILVO, Vanhoucke embarked on integrating AI into its hoeing machines. The project focused on supporting the development of a camera-based vision system and AI algorithms capable of precisely detecting and removing weeds.
agrifoodTEF provided:
• Data collection for the AI model training and evaluation
Access the AI Data collection service
• Support and advise on the model development, real-time inference, and continuous data management
• Test infrastructure that can simulate the hoe’s operation in a controlled indoor and outdoor conditions.
The impact
The integration of AI into the intra-row hoe represents a significant step toward precision agriculture and automation. By automatically detecting and removing weeds:
• Increased competitiveness with international players in this sector providing agricultural machinery;
• Improved crop health and reduced herbicide use, supporting more sustainable farming practices;
• Responds to the need of labour efficiency, addressing workforce shortages in agriculture;
• Shorter development time because of early detection of errors and inefficiencies thanks to ILVO’s repeatable test platform;
• Scalable technology for other implements or crops, making the innovation widely applicable across the sector.
For Vanhoucke, the collaboration offered early access to advanced AI expertise and infrastructure, enabling them to gradually gain expertise in this domain while immediately delivering results. Thereby, the machine could be tested early in the development phase, allowing errors to be identified promptly and improvements to be implemented faster.
Through its collaboration with agrifoodTEF, Vanhoucke combines mechanical expertise with digital technology, enabling faster, safer, and market-ready innovations in precision agriculture.
