Physical System

ILVO's TEF Mobile Containers are fully operational, secure, and moveable charging hubs for agricultural robots. These containers, which are standard 20 ft sea containers, facilitate easy transportation of robots. The TEF Containers provide a flexible and convenient solution for charging and storing agricultural robots near fields or other off-site locations. Energy is supplied off-grid through 6 Denim Solar Panels, but the DC-coupled inverter charger also allows for connection to the grid or a generator.

ILVO's Spray Tech Lab is one of the few accredited spray technology laboratories in the world specialising in the characterisation of sprayers and nozzles. In addition to accredited testing, the laboratory has the experimental facilities to develop spray application systems and evaluate them under field or laboratory conditions. Current research priorities include greenhouse and open field spray applications, spray drift, nozzle characterisation, orchard spray applications, and biological crop protection applications.

The ILVO Lane Trees facility, featuring a diverse array of 50 trees from four different cultivars and varying stem diameters, provides a unique environment for testing and experimenting with advanced technologies tailored for tree nurseries. This setup allows researchers to evaluate the effectiveness of innovative tools and methods in real-world conditions, ensuring that new developments are both practical and beneficial for the industry. By leveraging this resource, ILVO aims to drive advancements in tree nursery practices, promoting sustainability and efficiency in the sector.

The ILVO Hyperspectral Technology Facility enables advanced applications in agri-food processing, such as quality control, defect detection, grading, and sorting of (raw) products. By comparing spectral and spatial data to reference measurements, we build chemometric models capable of estimating product parameters in real time. The facility hosts a range of hyperspectral and multispectral devices, including spectrometers with customisable probes, hyperspectral cameras, and FTNIRS systems suited for both solid and liquid samples.

ILVO’s fertiliser spreader calibration lab offers services to farmers, fertiliser spreader manufacturers, and fertiliser-producing companies. Two different approaches are used for assessing the performance of centrifugal and pendulum fertiliser spreaders for specific types of fertilisers: collection trays equipped with anti-reflection grids are used for determining spread patterns in field conditions.

The ILVO testing field is a small field with dry sandy loam soil. The testing field is conveniently located next to our workshop facility, allowing us to test and adapt a prototype in quick succession in a real-world setting. Depending on the intended tests, different crops are installed each growing season.

Experimental stables with opportunities for co-creative research in dairy cattle, poultry, rabbit, and pig farming. These facilities are equipped with an extensive array of sensors and cutting-edge technologies to support advanced agricultural testing, experimenting, and validation. The currently available sensors allow us to collect data related to emissions, stable climate, animal behaviour, and food or water intake.

The CEMOB Bench is dedicated to enhancing the efficiency of spreading processes by optimising both machines and products, such as granules and compost. The CEMOB research bench accurately measures and characterises spreader sheets using traditional transverse measurement methods. The 3D measurements enable detailed analysis of spreading performance, including mapping ground distribution and assessing homogeneity. CEMOB also allows the evaluation of a product’s suitability for wide-area spreading and the impact of optimised spreading devices.

The CEMIB rotating test bench, patented by INRAE, is a high-performance device for measuring the distribution of granular products (fertilisers). It enables quick, reliable, and cost-effective evaluation of spreading patterns. CEMIB scans the spread pattern, angular sector by angular sector, using around 90 sensors recorded at 10 Hz by a synchronous system. It provides precise, disturbance-free measurements of fertiliser distribution in grams/m² and reliable data on projection range and angles.

The experimental plots to study machine-soil interaction offer advanced tools to study machine-soil interactions. The MONROE system measures the efficiency of agricultural tires and machines, assessing traction and soil compaction under various conditions, including tire type, pressure, and soil characteristics. It uses constant torque and traction force methods alongside additional measurements of effort, torque, angular velocity, and actual speed. The SoilXplorer tool provides electromagnetic response maps of soil, based on texture and moisture levels.