CANOPIES
CANOPIES
A little bit about the project:
CANOPIES is a European project within the Horizon 2020 program that proposes the first comprehensive approach to introducing a collaborative paradigm between humans and robots in the field of precision agriculture. Its objective is to demonstrate that coordinated interaction between farmers and robotic equipment can significantly improve efficiency, safety, and sustainability in high-demand agricultural tasks.
The project focuses especially on permanent crops, with emphasis on table grape vineyards, where operations such as harvesting or pruning require precision, physical effort and regularity.
Main objective
Develop and validate a collaborative human-robot system that allows complex agricultural tasks to be performed more efficiently, safely and sustainably, integrating advanced robotics with agronomic knowledge and human experience.
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A new generation of smart agriculture:
CANOPIES is committed to a model where autonomous robots and agricultural workers collaborate, sharing information and coordinating movements in real time. This approach facilitates:
- Reduction of the farmer's physical effort.
- Increased accuracy in critical operations.
- Time optimization in repetitive tasks.
- Improvement of operational safety in the field.
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Key technological areas:
Development of mobile platforms equipped with sensors, artificial vision and navigation capabilities between vineyard rows.
Design of intuitive interfaces and communication protocols that allow for safe and seamless cooperation between operators and machines.
Integration of algorithms that interpret the environment, detect clusters or branches, identify intervention needs and optimize work routes.
Application of the system to operations such as:
- Table grape harvest.
- Assisted pruning.
- Product handling and classification.
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Contribution to the Agricultural Sector
CANOPIES represents a fundamental step towards the agriculture of the future, providing benefits such as:
- Greater efficiency in labor-intensive tasks.
- Reduction of physical workload and occupational risks.
- Increased accuracy and quality in field operations.
- Availability of new technological tools for a sector facing labor shortages and greater sustainability demands.
A pioneering project in the digital transition of the countryside
As an initiative funded by the Horizon 2020 program, CANOPIES places Mediterranean agriculture at the forefront of intelligent automation. Its collaborative approach opens the door to hybrid systems where humans and robots work together, maximizing the capabilities of both and fostering a new, more innovative, safe, and efficient model of agricultural production.