A half-day seminar on the application of Intelligence of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and robotics in agriculture, hosted by the Mauritius Research and Innovation Council (MRIC) under the Innovation Boost Grant, was held, yesterday, in Ebène. The seminar aimed to present the findings of the project, which focuses on advancing technological solutions within the agricultural sector.
The Officer-in-Charge of the MRIC, Dr Nitin Kumar Gopaul; the Research Coordinator of MRIC, Dr Vickram Bissonauth; and the Director and Head of Applied Research of Neos Core Ltd, Mr Kewin Cesar, were present.
In his address, Dr Gopaul underscored the seminar’s role in inspiring innovators to drive technological advancements and integrate them into new products and services beneficial to society and businesses. He noted that by focusing on innovation within the agricultural sector, there is potential for significant boosts in productivity, which can help address pressing environmental challenges.
About the project
T
he project’s goal was to implement emerging technologies such as IoT, AI, and robotics in agriculture to tackle climate change, address labour shortages, automate manual tasks, and attract younger generations to the field. It progressed through three distinct milestones. The first milestone involved acquiring and integrating four key IoT devices: an Automatic Weather Station, an Automated Irrigation System, a Farmbot robotic system, and an agricultural sprayer drone, connecting them through a unified software platform.
The second milestone centred on installing and calibrating these devices, though the process was hampered by complex software and poor weather conditions. In the third milestone, the project focused on innovating data extraction from the devices and integrating it into a single platform, complemented by the development of a mobile app to enhance user accessibility.
To promote the initiative, Neos Core Ltd conducted public awareness sessions over eight months, reaching out to farmers, students
, and corporate groups. An Agri Tech Park was also established at Mon Desert Alma to demonstrate these advanced technologies and engage potential customers.
Source: Government of Mauritius