From dust to trust

How radar technology helps ROBOTTI conquer the field

Autonomous farming robots, such as Agrointelli’s ROBOTTI, are paving the way toward smarter, sustainable, and more efficient agriculture. But operating safely and reliably in an unpredictable real-world outdoor environment requires robust sensor technology.  Agrointelli turned to SICK’s safeRS3 radar sensor  – and gained more than just reliable obstacle detection. This is the story of how close collaboration, flexible integration tools, and proven safety expertise accelerated ROBOTTI’s  evolution

Robots are changing the way we work.  In agriculture, autonomous machines are already capable of performing various repetitive tasks like sowing, weeding, and tilling. They promise less manual work for the farmer and greater efficiency in the field. One of the companies leading this shift is Agrointelli from Denmark. Its autonomous robot, ROBOTTI, enables farmers to reduce time spent on the tractor and shift their focus to more value-creating tasks.

However, autonomy also presents challenges. Open fields are full of unexpected situations that demand quick adaptation. There might be wild animals, people walking their dogs, or fallen branches. A human operator can react to these situations and ensure safety. An autonomous machine needs sensors and algorithms to handle them. And not just occasionally, but every day and in every condition.

Sensors are the eyes of autonomy

To navigate safely and efficiently, an autonomous robot needs reliable sensors.  These sensors must detect obstacles and trigger an emergency stop in critical situations. It’s not enough to just see everything. Beyond perception, the system must also know when something is really dangerous.

Agrointelli initially equipped ROBOTTI with optical sensors, which create a detailed point cloud of the surroundings. However, in a real-world environment, the sensor, in some conditions, triggered too many false stops. Dust from dry soil, rain, and fog confused the system. Even birds flying through the aperture angle could cause unnecessary shutdowns. Each time this happened, the robot had to be restarted manually by the operator, which reduced productivity and user satisfaction.

Switching to radar for greater reliability

To achieve higher productivity, Agrointelli sought for a more robust perception solution. They found the solution in the radar technology from SICK. The safeRS3 radar sensor is designed for safety applications and is much less affected by dust, rain, or fog.

Radar works by detecting motions and object size, not visual contrasts. That makes it especially useful in outdoor environments where lighting and weather constantly change. For Agrointelli, this technology provided a more reliable foundation for safe operation in the field.

“We want to be at the forefront of the technology, hence we are constantly optimizing our product with the newest available technologies on the market, and in this case, our safety system that has been significantly upgraded with SICK’s safe radar for obstacle detection,” explains Hans Christian Carstensen, Product Manager for ROBOTTI. “The radars are specifically designed to detect humans and other large obstacles, while ignoring plants and weeds.”

Additionally, the safeRS3 can monitor two protection zones. In the warning zone, the robot slows down until it comes to a complete stop. In the safety zone, the system performs a full emergency stop. This allows ROBOTTI to react differently depending on the urgency of the obstacle.

Flexible solution with strong support

SICK did not just offer a sensor; they are a one-stop shop that delivered a solution and actively supported Agrointelli during integration. The two teams worked closely together to test the sensor in real field conditions. SICK provided demo units for trials and supported the setup and fine-tuning using SICK’s software environment. SICK also helped develop a custom bracket for mounting the radar. This bracket made sure that the sensor cannot be manipulated by the user, which is essential for safety compliance.

“With SICK, we had a partner who understood our requirements – and worked with us to implement a safe, practical system”, explains Ole Green, the CEO of Agrointelli. “This helped the engineers at Agrointelli integrate the radar quickly and confidently and made testing much more straightforward.”

Existing safety certification simplifies compliance 

However, functionality alone is not sufficient.  It must also comply with strict safety standards. When using the original LiDAR solution, Agrointelli had to develop its own evaluation algorithms and create a comprehensive safety concept from scratch. This included documentation and validation, which required a significant amount of time and resources.

With SICK’s safety-certified radar sensor, many of those efforts became unnecessary. The safeRS3 is already approved for safety-critical applications. It comes with documentation and software that support certification. Agrointelli could rely on SICK’s expertise in this field. This made it much easier to assess the safety of the overall system and accelerated the time to market.

“The technology of safety sensors has been advancing rapidly in recent years,” says Søren Kirkegaard Nielsen, CTO of Agrointelli. “To utilize all the great developments done by our partner, SICK, we are now proud to launch the novel, but also well-proven, commercial safeRS3 radar system for human detection, merged into the ROBOTTI automation technology.”

Results and benefits for Agrointelli

Since switching to radar, ROBOTTI has become significantly more stable in operation. False stops are now rarer, even under challenging conditions. The robot can operate longer without interruption, and users have greater confidence in its performance.

“The new SICK sensors enable us to know the position of obstacles in front of ROBOTTI with greater reliability,” adds Gareth Edwards, Product Manager for Digital Infrastructure at Agrointelli. “We are also able to display this information to users so that they can intuitively trust ROBOTTI’s safe operation.”

Agrointelli sees the ROBOTTI as a success story built on partnership. The collaboration with SICK was not just about hardware. It was about solving a challenge together. The teams communicated openly, tested together in real-world environments, and learned from one another.

Autonomous agriculture will continue to evolve. More tasks will be automated, and machines will operate in more complex environments. For Agrointelli, having a reliable sensing and safety concept is a crucial foundation.

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