Purpose & Scope
This webinar, presented by Johannes Zuser and moderated by Marie Wenzlaff, both from Josephinum Research, introduces the principles of Safe Agricultural Automation. As robotics and autonomous machinery enter viticulture, horticulture, tree crops, and arable farming, new safety challenges arise in unstructured and dynamic environments.
The session provides an overview of the current state of automation in agriculture, presents selected state-of-the-art robotic solutions, and explains the relevant EU frameworks and standards for autonomous machinery. Participants will learn how modern sensor technologies, real-time data processing, and technical measures contribute to safe operation, risk mitigation, and protection of people and the environment.
The webinar also demonstrates practical approaches for robotic prototyping, anomaly detection, and condition monitoring, giving attendees concrete insights into designing, implementing, and safely operating autonomous agricultural systems.
Learning objectives
- Current state and trends of automation and robotics in agriculture
- EU regulatory frameworks and selected standards most relevant for agricultural robotics and autonomous machinery (e.g. machinery regulation, AI regulation, functional safety, key ISO standards)
- Best practices for specific safety requirements and technical measures
- Anomaly detection and condition monitoring
- Safe Agricultural Automation by Josephinum Research (Austria)
- Robotic prototyping & development
- Anomaly Detection on agricultural robots
Learning outcomes
- Have an overview of the state of the art in automation and robotics in agriculture
- Name the main risk sources in automated and autonomous agricultural systems (e.g. presence of people, unstructured environment, remote operation, chemicals, slopes
- Identify key EU regulations and standards relevant to agricultural robotics and briefly describe their role
- Explain basic concepts of safety engineering for agricultural machinery
Who should attend?
- Manufacturers of agricultural robots (field robots, weeding/spraying robots, harvesting robots)
- Tractor and implement manufacturers integrating autonomous or highly automated functions
- Companies providing AI-based sensing and perception systems
- Developers of autonomous drones for monitoring, spraying, or scouting in agriculture
- Researchers and R&D engineers from universities, research organisations and industrial R&D units involved in AI, robotics
AI implementation
Robotics
Arable farming
Horticulture
Tree Crops
Viticulture
