That meant it was time for us to get to work. We first considered the different solutions we could offer and which would be the most effective.
Eventually, we settled on a camera system capable of detecting plant positions with high precision. Based on this detection, an air valve can be triggered to blow air between the plants, removing the weeds.
The first tangible step was ordering the camera system — in this case, a set from Tillet & Hague. Due to the additional requirements, this set included more components than the standard version. This was something new for us, but we never shy away from a challenge. After carefully studying the set and determining how everything needed to be fitted and connected, it was time to install and assemble it on the machine.
Once the system was built and tested in the workshop at Mechanisatie Bollenstreek, we moved on to commissioning it at the end user’s location. This customer planned to use the machine in a field of dahlias — another ‘first’ for us. But once again, we took on the challenge without hesitation.
A new system, a new crop — but we still managed to get everything running. The system worked almost immediately as we had intended. Seeing the machine in action in the field for the first time revealed small details that we hadn’t noticed in the workshop. One of these was the need to fine-tune the plant-specific recognition for even greater precision. After another afternoon of adjustments, the machine was running perfectly, and the end user was satisfied — and that’s exactly what we work for.
To wrap up the project and further introduce this machine to our colleagues at Tillet & Hague in England, we invited them to join us for a morning in the field to see how the system is operated and how it performs. It turned out to be a very insightful morning.
With that, the project was successfully completed — and now multiple fields in the Netherlands are being weeded without the use of chemicals. We look forward to bringing this innovative system to many more end users in the future.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us using the details on our website or social media channels.Â