An agtech startup FarmSense is working on a smart pest monitoring system, the Smart Trap, helping farmers adopt the latest in artificial intelligence and analytics to improve insect monitoring and crop management.
The company’s novel classification algorithms, combined with its FlightSensor, help farmers identify harmful insects in their fields in real-time, providing better data for critical decisions that can potentially lower pesticide use and increase crop yield.
FarmSense’s real-time classification and monitoring system provide faster, more accurate counts to alert farmers to species more quickly, enabling a proactive response that can save time, money, and crops.
Once the FarmSense Smart Trap detects an insect, it runs FarmSenses patented algorithm to classify the insect in real-time. Data is sent to the FarmSense cloud via wireless. The sensor comes in a variety of sizes, and the algorithm can be adjusted depending on what insects a farmer needs to monitor. Farmers no longer have to wait for days or weeks to figure out what their traps are catching. Based on the collected information, the farmer can then strategically use specific quantities of specific pesticides to address the problem.
The agtech startup now has been awarded Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funds in the amount of more than $2.2 million to aid in ongoing biosecurity research, including the impact of Japanese Beetles and Gypsy Moths as invasive species.
During the study, FarmSense will investigate how the FlightSensor can improve invasive pest control for rural communities in California. The company will test new classification models and algorithms that can detect multiple commercially significant species at the onset of their arrival to an area. The company will also explore ways to reduce power requirements and improve battery life for FlightSensors.
The company plans to publicly launch its FlightSensor in 2022, with a focus on the Navel Orangeworm, a pest prevalent in California nut farming.
