LivLabPRoFruit

Living Lab: Precision and Robotisation in Fruit Growing in the Meuse-Rhine Region

The fruit sector faces major challenges. It is difficult to find enough staff, costs are rising, and there is an increasing need for smart, efficient solutions. New technologies, such as precision farming and robots, can help with this. Examples include automatic sprayers and harvesting robots. However, these techniques are not yet widely used, as they are often not well suited to practical use and growers often do not know exactly how they work.

The ‘Living Lab Precision and Robotisation in Fruit Growing’ project brings together tech companies and fruit growers from the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. They are testing and improving new machines and applications, particularly for pears, blueberries and viticulture. The machines are tested in real fields and in a digital environment. This allows companies to further develop their technology and teaches growers what works best.

The knowledge and results from the project are shared with all stakeholders in the region. This makes the fruit sector stronger, smarter and more sustainable. The total budget for the project is nearly 4 million euros.