The Fraunhofer IFAM in Stade presents its portfolio on the following R&D topics in collaboration with its project partners:

  • SAMSON – Smart automation systems and services for fruit cultivation at the Lower Elbe

    Practical technologies and automated tools “hands-on”, which will support fruit-growing businesses in their transformation into future-ready operations – resource-efficient, data-driven and forward-looking: From data collection to bloom regulation, yield forecasting, localization and prediction of diseases and pests, mobile robots, frost protection and irrigation, right through to a digital farm management system via app, including digital fruit tree twins.

Press Release: "SAMSON – Towards the orchard of the future through digitalization, practical technologies and automated tools"

Project Website SAMSON 
 

  • KERMIT – Climate protection in commercial fruit growing through model-based accounting

Reduction of pesticide drift, etc., using photovoltaic systems as protective barriers at water bodies, greenhouse gas accounting in fruit cultivation at both farm and measure level, assessment of climate impacts and efficiency of measures, as well as tools for sustainable decision-making in fruit-growing businesses.

Project Website KERMIT
 

  • OSKAR – Ecological selective cultivation and thinning of apple trees using robotics

Robotic flower thinning for optimizing yield and quality, robotic fruit thinning for precise stock management, sensor-assisted navigation and target recognition within the orchard, and reduction of manual labour through automation.