Physical System

The greenhouses allow cultivation in soil and soilless systems of most agricultural crops. These are cold greenhouses, with the possibility of occasional heating if necessary. There is also a possibility to use recycled CO2 for CO2 fertilisation.

This is a 45ha irrigated field suitable for growing any field crop of the Mediterranean environment. It also has a weather station.

Three greenhouses of steel and glass - 27m x 10m. The greenhouses are equipped with cultivation benches for hydroponic growth systems, fertigation units and sensors for monitoring environmental parameters. 

The experimental farm also has a weather station. Crops routinely cultivated for research purposes are wheat, forage crops, corn, tomato and vegetable crops in general. The main focus of the farm is on the assessment of crop water requirements through the integration of remote sensing and in-situ sensors for data collection and the development of smart irrigation systems. Advanced weed management through robotic systems is also a developing area of research.

Main equipment includes a multiparameter metre station that monitors different water quality parameters including pH, ORP, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and temperature; an IRGA system for measuring leaf gas exchanges; a psychrometer and a pressure chamber for measuring the water potential on leaves; a leaf area metre and fluorometre that enables quick and precise measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence parameters; probes for ion detection in leaf sap.

Equipped with advanced systems for sustainable and intelligent food transformation, this fixed facility supports pilot-scale trials for food companies. It enables the testing and optimisation of food processing procedures, from ingredient preparation to packaging and labeling. The plant offers comprehensive solutions for ready-to-eat vegetables (IV Range), refrigerated ready meals (V Range), and restructured foods (VI Range), while also facilitating the study of storage, refrigeration, and shelf life.

The facility includes a mechanical workshop, an extensive range of robot platforms and hardware (e.g., sensors) and a 200 m³ motion capture volume. A close collaboration with Università degli Studi di Milano allows AIRLab to test robot systems for agricultural applications in fields, orchards and greenhouses.

The Food Pilot helps companies, labs, and governments with their agri-food challenges: product development, process optimisation, or troubleshooting technical production problems. Within a co-creative process we bring solutions in the form of advice, lab analyses, and/or pilot trials performed on semi-industrial processing equipment. We work strictly confidentially. The Food Pilot is a collaboration between ILVO and Flanders' FOOD. More information is available on www.foodpilot.be/en/.

In the mechanisation and automation workshop of the living lab Agrifood Technology of ILVO, technological prototypes for the agrifood sector are ideated, designed, developed, and tested in controlled conditions. An iterative development process is used; this is an agile approach with subsequent multiple cycles of (re)design and testing. Machines are designed in CAD software (Solidworks). For reverse engineering, a 3D scanner and post-processing software are used. For metalworking, lathes, milling machines, bending machines, and welding machines are available.