Viticulture

The workshop can be used for storage, working on a prototype, or loading the robot’s batteries. It can be helpful to avoid multiple transportations of a robot, for example, when the field experimentations must last more than a day. It is equipped with electric plugs and has convenient tools for working on metal or wood.

Our laboratory allows us to carry out analyses on grapes, must, wine, but also on the soil, and even pathogens; It makes it possible to make the link between practices in the vineyard and qualitative indicators.

Our experimental cellar allows vinification at different scales, depending on the needs of the experiment: from 1 L to a few hectolitres. Our most common volume is 50 L. It is equipped with rooms at different temperatures and even a device of connected tanks to monitor and record the fermentation parameters under different conditions. As part of the TEF project, we can receive different connected sensors to collect data. The interest, with AI, is to develop predictive quality models for winemaking.

Mas Piquet is the experimental estate of the Montpellier high school (15 hectares). Located to the north of Montpellier, it is easily accessible and provides representative conditions of Southern Vineyards. The current grape varieties, covering an area of 15 hectares, are divided between Chardonnay, Marselan, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petit Verdot, and Carignan, as well as two new disease-resistant grape varieties, Voltis and Floréal. The Maspiquet estate is used as a training support for the Agropolis Campus (high schools, CFA, CFPPA,...).

This concrete test platform (30 m * 15 m) located on the INRAE Montpellier premises enables application techniques to be tested under controlled conditions: it features rows of artificial vines and a device for controlling wind conditions on the platform (wall of fans).

The 80 m² laboratory contains a spectrophotometer and a fluorometer, as well as all the equipment needed for sampling and measuring spray quality and drift parameters.

The laboratory uses state-of-the-art testing platforms to simulate mechanical shocks, vibrations, drops, compressions, and and temperature and humidity variations, as well as multi-axis movement sequences. These simulations are based on real-world transport profiles and international testing standards (such as ISTA, ASTM, and ISO). Beyond standard compliance, the laboratory enables custom testing campaigns tailored to specific logistics environments, including last-mile delivery, air or sea freight, or agro-food cold chains.

The laboratory offers a wide range of ageing simulations, including thermal, mechanical, chemical, and climatic stresses, to replicate real-life or extreme use conditions. These tests are designed to evaluate material durability, detect failure mechanisms, and support predictive maintenance strategies. Our infrastructure supports both standardised testing protocols and tailor-made test campaigns, adapted to specific use cases or industrial environments.

These tests form part of the range of services for simulating environmental constraints such as mechanical, climatic, or electromagnetic compatibility.

These tests serve to assess the mechanical behaviour of products under both normal and severe operating conditions. They successfully incorporate into a comprehensive qualification and characterisation program the set of equipment ancillary to testing conducted on electromagnetic compatibility, climate, electricity, etc...