Kick-off HiPerGreen: continued development for drone in the greenhouse

HiPerGreen is a project in which students and teachers from three different departments restart the project ‘Drones in de kas’ ('Drones in the greenhouse'). The aim of the project is to help growers with drones in the greenhouse to achieve higher returns with less resources and raw materials.

With the drone, which features cameras and sensors, it is possible for growers to monitor the health of plants in a smart and fast manner. During the kick-off, the approach and objectives of the project are presented. In addition, during the kick-off, workshops are given and some guest speakers will inspire the visitors with state-of-the-art technology. For example, Jeremy Harbinson, professor Wageningen University, will discuss technology in the green sector. Arash Noroozi, CEO of ElpaNav, will address localization by using bluetooth. Javier Nunez, electronics engineer at AvioniCS, takes you into the world of operating systems in aviation and Pieter van der Hoeven, teacher-researcher at Inholland, will address business strategies.

The restart of the project of the Aviation Technology students is possible thanks to a SIA RAAK-SME subsidy worth half a million euros. Eight groups of teachers and students are involved in the project from three fields of education (Agri, Food & Life Sciences, Business Finance & Law and Engineering Design & Informatics) and four Inholland locations (Delft, Alkmaar, Haarlem and Diemen). The overall key role is performed by Inholland lecturer Cock Heemskerk (Robotica).

"This project represents an excellent opportunity for us to expand our network and to further our plans," says Lucien Fesselet, developer of the project. "As young engineers, we are also very pleased that we have the opportunity to do such a project so early in our career. This might otherwise take years!"

The Delft students had developed a drone during a minor to check plants for diseases in horticultural greenhouses. The Drones in the Greenhouse project received global attention with many positive responses, even from Canada and South and Central America. The students are frequently requested guests at seminars, symposia and lectures in the horticulture sector. They arranged demonstrations, for Floricode, Greenport Westland-Oostland and more.

For more information:
www.inholland.nl