A First Step Toward the Future: The Agriculture of Tomorrow
On Monday, February 17th, the workshop “Aerospace Technologies for Agriculture” took place at the Mondovì campus of the Polytechnic of Turin. This event highlighted innovative solutions, applications, and products for the agriculture of the future.
The collaboration between MAVTech and DIMEAS – Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering made the success of the initiative possible, demonstrating how aerospace technologies can make agriculture more efficient and sustainable.
Roberto Bellora, CEO of MAVTech, and Gianluca Ristorto, Program Manager of the company, explained how drones can support Precision Agriculture, with applications in crop monitoring, soil mapping, irrigation, and the application of fertilizers and pesticides.
The regulatory constraints related to aerial spraying in Italy were also discussed, emphasizing the need for swift action by the relevant authorities to define the scope and methods of drone usage in agriculture, as is already happening in other European countries such as Germany and Switzerland.
Stefano Primatesta, Researcher at the Polytechnic, presented an “anti-sloshing” spraying system and tank equipped on the M6 drone for targeted pesticide application. This solution, which is patent-pending, is the result of collaboration between the Polytechnic of Turin and MAVTech.
Marco Penco, Product Manager of Info Solution described innovations in Moliris navigation modes and Agridron and PNRR RAISE projects, with a demonstration of rover applications.
Along with MAVTech, a collaborative solution between drones and rovers in agriculture was also presented.
During the event, innovative projects and solutions were presented by DIMEAS – Agritech Center, Arproma, and the Agrion Foundation.
At the end of the classroom session, the MAVTech engineering team performed a flight demonstration of the M6 drone with a simulation of a spraying operation and presented the products to the participants.
Special thanks
A special thanks to Prof. Giorgio Guglieri, Director of DIMEAS, Dr. Luca Robaldo, President of the Province of Cuneo and Mayor of Mondovì, Prof. Paolo Fino, Head of the Mondovì campus of the Polytechnic of Turin, Prof. Carlo Rosso, Head of DIMEAS activities at the Mondovì campus of the Polytechnic of Turin, and Mauro Danna, Vice President of Confindustria Cuneo, for their contributions. Thanks to all the speakers and participants for their active participation.
