Technology

BeeHero, the pioneer of precision pollination, announced the establishment of its new regional headquarters in Australia as part of a strategic plan to expand operations in support of Australian growers and beekeepers. BeeHero’s expanded presence involves support for multiple crops, with the company’s groundbreaking in-hive and in-field monitoring technologies now deployed across almonds, canola, macadamia nuts, apples, pears, plums, cherries, avocados, hybrid seed crops, and blueberries.

A compact, lightweight sensor system with infrared imaging capabilities developed by an international team of engineers could be easily fitted to a drone for remote crop monitoring. This flat-optics technology has the potential to replace traditional optical lens applications for environmental sensing in a range of industries.

Moove over ChatGPT – we’ll soon be using artificial intelligence to monitor cattle. The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and  Goondiwindi-based company Infarm have collaborated to create a prototype automated camera system to detect cattle and monitor their condition using advances in machine vision and AI.

Growers could soon have tailored local weather forecasts directly at their fingertips through a ground-breaking program that leverages the cutting-edge capabilities of artificial intelligence and machine learning combined with traditional weather forecasting techniques … the $1.3M initiative … is tailored to meet the specific needs of individual growers, considering their farming block, unique terrain and operational requirements.

Kaniva & District Progress Association were delighted to be invited to help test the Australian Silo Art App last month. The app has just been released to the general public and is available at the App store. KDPA's Helen Hobbs said, "Similar to WikiCamps, it uses your location to show all nearby Silo Art, along with community contributed public art information."

UK biotech startup, LyteGro’s solution converts the pulp of waste bananas into a proprietary liquid supplement to turbocharge metabolic processes offering high-value for Australia’s distilling industry. An exciting joint venture opportunity now exists for Australian investors, banana growers and authorities to scale production plants.

Easter used to be fun in our family, but not any more. It's the hardest time of year for our family, it's when our darling granddaughter took her life. When we lost our Jessica to suicide the police knew just where to look: her phone and laptop.

Calling all Australians to add new details on public toilets to the National Public Toilet Map. The much-loved Great Dunny Hunt is back and better than ever with the Continence Foundation of Australia calling all Australians to update the National Public Toilet Map website or app with new public toilet facility details they discover while out and about these school holidays.

The Delburn Wind Farm developer, Osmi Australia, has allayed speculation that the project would be affected by the federal government's rejection on environmental grounds of the Port of Hastings as a construction site ... Delburn involves the construction of 33 wind turbines each about 250 metres in height on plantation forest land owned by HVP Plantations ... recently deployed new fire detection technology that it said was a first for Australia and the wind farm industry.

Suzie Christensen. Community feedback on the improved short-term communications options for LHI was gathered in November 2023. The survey results showed that the majority of residents are in favour of preserving the Island’s unique way of life when it comes to connectivity.

Scientists at CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, have achieved a breakthrough in molecular plant pathology, marking a technological leap forward for breeding durable disease-resistant crops. Plant pathogens – organisms which cause plant diseases - greatly reduce agricultural productivity and are a persistent threat to global food security.    

Hydrogen and the potential of Gippsland and its industries to play a role in the hydrogen technologies seen as crucial for the energy transition are set for a higher profile in the region, with Federation University in Churchill the focal point ... “The aim was to bring these players to one platform... ": Professor Surbhi Sharma.

Scientists are researching and developing new technology to build a prototype robot arm that will automate the repetitive and intensive parts of banana processing, resulting in significant efficiencies for the banana industry ... “If successful, this type of technology could also be applied to other crop-types to support Aussie fruit and vegetable supply": Hort Innovation chief executive officer Brett Fifield.

Will Hunter. Ardrossan Area School has entered a new realm of educational possibilities after officially opening its virtual reality learning space ... The school has installed a Lumination Learning Lab, a smart classroom which utilises virtual and augmented reality technology to create immersive learning experiences for students.

South Australian artificial intelligence (AI) company AICRAFT and deep tech company GoMicro have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to utilise AICRAFT’s low-power, compact, high-performance edge computing systems for powering GoMicro’s AI assessment solutions for agriculture and other industrial in-machine applications.

A new, free-to-attend trade exhibition and conference is set to showcase the future of the Australian agricultural industry, with FutureAg powered by AGRITECHNICA 2024 highlighting the latest in cutting edge technology to improve productivity and sustainability across one of the nation’s largest industries.