Although the grand prize of the Horticultural Entrepreneur Award did not go to a Westland company, the theme prize for Robotisation and Digitisation was won by a local entrepreneur. Gearbox from Maasdijk took home the award.
Rianne de Zeeuw-Heus 21-04-22, 15:03
Gearbox received the 'Robotisation and Digitisation' theme award for their innovative 'GearRover'. This is a robot that can indicate which roses need to be cut that day. 'Every morning, the grower can indicate in the software the degree of ripeness he wants to have cut that day, after which the GearRover selects the roses using its camera and artificial intelligence (AI). Using a laser on top of the vehicle, it then points out the roses that the employee can cut,' explains Simone Keijzer of Gearbox.
"This is not for the future, but for the present. These high-tech cameras and robots are already being used by growers and breeders to work more efficiently."
Maturity
‘With roses, cutting at the right stage of ripeness is very precise. By digitising this decision-making process, we can see how dependent growers are on the choices made by their employees. And how much more efficient production becomes when this decision-making process is done with the help of AI. The GearRover replaces the six to nine months you need to train each new employee.’
Keijzer is delighted with the award, which is being presented for the first time this year, she said in a telephone interview. "It's really cool to see that they recognise what we're doing and that we're being given a platform like this. It's also important that we draw attention to the fact that artificial intelligence can already be applied on this scale. This isn't something for the future, it's happening now. These high-tech cameras and robots are already being used by growers and breeders to work smarter."
The Horticultural Entrepreneur Award was won by Limburg vegetable grower Wijnen Square Crops. Growers' association Zentoo from Honselersdijk was one of the nominees.
