Cameras Scout For Greenhouse Problems

Cameras Scout For Greenhouse Problems Croptimus from Fermata is an AI-powered system for crop scouting. It uses affordable cameras that rotate 360 degrees to continuously monitor crops. Computer vision technology uses artificial intelligence to detect and identify pests, fungal diseases, viruses and mechanical damage.  Croptimus identifies current issues and uses an augmented reality overlay to show growers exactly where in the canopy the problem has been found. It also provides a comprehensive case management system to track the crop and treatments over time. “We developed a computer vision system that we want to bring to every farm on the planet to help produce healthier and better crops,” says Dr. Valeria Kogan, Fermata co-founder and CEO. The Israeli company entered the Canadian market and other markets in 2022 through direct sales and third-party distribution. Currently focusing on greenhouses, the company sees future open-field applications involving robots and aerial drones. The company partnered with fellow Israeli company agRE.tech, maker of solar-powered robots. The collaboration tested Croptimus in open-field situations. Because Croptimus uses a 360-degree camera rotation, a single camera per robot is enough to monitor crops. agRE.tech’s robots are designed to respond in real time to treat the identified problems with chemical or biological controls. Kogan has identified three main issues faced by farmers. These include managing pests and disease outbreaks, production and manual scouting costs, and time delays. Croptimus was designed to address all three with its combination of cameras and AI. The collected images are uploaded to the cloud, where the AI is activated. Algorithms analyze digital images to identify pests, diseases and hot spots in the vegetation. Incident icons, which signal problems, are overlaid on the crop image. When potential issues are detected, a notification is sent to the grower or team member.  The grower or team member can access a 360-degree view of the crop and click and drag an icon to explore details. If they take actions to address the problem, Croptimus continues monitoring to evaluate effectiveness. The AI program’s effectiveness depends on thousands of images of real-world pest and disease infestations. The company’s strategy was to place cameras in greenhouses, validate data through grower feedback, and continuously repeat the process. As the program is used more, it becomes smarter. The company has also set up lab-induced infestations to gather even more images under controlled conditions. Kogan describes Croptimus as designed to be flexible, adapting to new pests, different geographies, and new growers as it’s used. The next steps for the AI crop scout include adding crop registration and pollination tracking. In the future, she expects climate and irrigation data to be incorporated into the system.  The company claims that Croptimus will reduce scouting by 50%, crop loss by 30%, and input costs by 25%. In 2025, its focus was on tomato production in Canada and the Netherlands. Future crop targets include cucumbers and peppers, followed by strawberries and grapes, with more crops planned later. The company did not respond to pricing requests. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Fermata Tech (www.fermata.tech).

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