TECHNOLOGICAL CAPABILITIES
PLANT PRODUCTION
Horticulture: Technification and improvement in efficiency of horticultural crops
Crop protection:
- Improvement in prediction systems (production control)
- Pest and disease management
- New alternatives to chemical control
New post-harvest treatments: development of protocols that enable a product’s useful life to be extended while maintaining properties and quality
Greenhouses and vertical crops: improvement in the efficiency of production infrastructure based on technification and sustainability.
PRECISION AGRICULTURE (SMART FARMING)
Application of new information and communication technologies (ICT), sensorics, robotics and AI to agricultural tasks, to improve efficiency and reduce inputs:
- Automation of processes and mechanisation of production processes
- Development of measurement systems in agriculture and communication of data with less energy consumption
- Remote sensing for open-air crops using drones and satellites
- Improvement of productivity with mobile robots
- Design of machinery and equipment
DIGITALISATION
Development of data processing systems based on artificial intelligence and deep learning to generate high value-added information for decision making and automation of processes.
- Agriculture 4.0: systems for capturing and processing images and telecommunication systems based on data science
VALUATION
- Design of circular sustainable production processes
- Development of biomaterials based on renewable sources or the transformation of by-products into raw materials
- Reduction of losses in the field
- Development of technology to use plant fibres (hemp, maize, etc.) for textile production, construction and other industries
SUSTAINABILITY
Design of sustainable production processes under the paradigm of circularity within farming and throughout the food chain.
- Management of wastewater to reduce contamination and be able to reuse it
- Design of processes without CO2 emissions to contribute to decarbonisation
- Sources of renewable energy to generate bioenergy
- Preservation of biodiversity of cultivated plants
APPLICATION SECTORS
FOOD
AGRICULTURE AND MARINE ENVIRONMENT
DISTRIBUTION AND MASS CONSUMPTION
HEALTH
CIRCULAR ECONOMY
ENERGY
RELATED PROJECTS
- RootBot aims to develop and demonstrate an autonomous robotic electromagnetic detection system equipped with ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and advanced navigation technologies to map the root systems of fruit trees and soil moisture. This project seeks to optimize agricultural resource management, particularly water, and contribute to more sustainable farming through the use of innovative technological tools.
- A team of researchers from the materials and structures area of CATMech at UPC is participating in a circular economy project to study the feasibility of using canemuixa, a by-product of hemp, in five applications in the building sector.
- The Agricultural Machinery Unit (UMA) at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC) participated in the CULTISENSOR project to design, manufacture and validate a sensing subsoiler prototype for soil decompaction. This instrument allows mapping and interpretation of the physical conditions of soil when fieldwork activities are being carried out.
- Researchers at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC), in collaboration with the MINOS group of the URV, are participating in a project on the reliable, high-performance and low-cost production of ammonia sensors for livestock farming.
