Nature does not wait: the data collection period runs from March to September. The Robotics & AI division of group iXblue has mobilized to deliver new phenotyping systems just in time to observe the first shoots.
The first system, PHE-B, is a deformable structure mounted on a high clearance carrier in order to pass over the rows of corn. The second, FIGARO, telescopic, is installed on a similar carrier, but will observe cereal plants. The systems embed state-of-the-art 2D LIDAR (Sick LMS4000), industrial HD cameras and specific flashes designed to crush natural sunlight. Each set of sensors is controlled by our standard phenotyping system consisting of an electronic cabinet for acquisition and synchronization, and a tablet for programming and monitoring measurements.
The design and manufacture of custom kinematics are carried out by our usual partner, Meca3D, while Hiphen, the other key player in these programs, offers data processing expertise to the users.
Our teams’ passion for robotics, and the expertise that comes with it, is also expressed in the areas of advanced perception (multi-sensor data fusion, detection and tracking at sea) and of naval and land autonomous navigation (SLAM, dynamic path planning, obstacle avoidance, COLREGs).