Robotic technologies in the spotlight
The great exhibition of agricultural machinery for the Mediterranean area, will inaugurate the REAL section, entirely dedicated to robotics and advanced electronics. A trial field will also be set up in the area where visitors will be able to see in action some of the latest generation technologies for typical vineyard operations
A 300 square metre trial field is set up as a vineyard with three 14 metre rows. It is in this environment - set up in an open-air area of the Fiera del Levante, between the New Pavilion and Pavilion 19 - that during the four days of the Agrilevante event practical tests of agricultural robots specialised in vineyard work will be held. From tool-carrying machines to drones for spraying, right up to intelligent sensors that make production and vegetation maps (useful for estimating the harvest and assessing the pesticide state and ripening indexes of the crop), the section on robotics and advanced electronics, called REAL (Robotics and Electronics for Agriculture Live) showcases a wide range of latest-generation technologies, constituting one of the novelties of the 2023 edition of the great Bari exhibition.
The leading manufacturers of automated systems for agriculture are therefore expected in Bari from 5 to 8 October. In addition to Merlo, Vitibot, Pek Automotive and DJI - announces FederUnacoma, the Italian association of agricultural machinery manufacturers which is also the direct organiser of Agrilevante - the brands Niteko, ReAgri and Xagrifly have also formalised their participation together with the University of Bari, with which they have important research projects underway, and the company Field Robotics in collaboration with the University of Bologna. The organisers of Agrilevante are still collecting subscriptions to the REAL initiative, and it is therefore likely that the number of companies taking part will increase in the coming weeks, in view of the growing interest in this cutting-edge market segment among operators in the sector.
The use of robots and electronic devices in agriculture is destined to grow exponentially, as these make it possible to optimise the use of production factors, significantly reducing costs, the consumption of resources, but also the environmental impact of processing, with particular reference to viticulture. These technologies are of strategic importance for the Mediterranean region - FederUnacoma emphasises - which is exposed more than others to the consequences of climate change, rising prices of raw materials, and the growing shortage of labour. Together with the REAL initiative, the Agrilevante exhibition includes another exhibition area - in the New Pavilion - dedicated to advanced electronic devices for precision agriculture and the digitalisation of farms.
