Raven Industries today announced it will begin the strategic integration of Augmenta after the acquisition of the machine vision company by CNH Industrial, Raven’s parent company. This development significantly expands the company’s comprehensive automated technologies by adding Sense & Act capabilities for a variety of variable rate crop spraying applications.
Augmenta’s comprehensive variable rate application (VRA) solution uses a real-time sensor to process field conditions and automatically apply the optimal amount of product for nitrogen, plant growth regulator, harvest aid and fungicide applications based on the real-time data it collects. It uses camera vision and artificial intelligence capabilities that are more sensitive than the human eye to automatically control precise application rates, based on factors like canopy health. This maximizes nutrient effectiveness to increase yields while saving inputs to reduce negative environmental impact and input costs. These cost savings are visible in real-time on a web-based analytics and monitoring platform.
Existing Augmenta technologies plan to be commercially available and offered through Raven aftermarket channels. Raven will develop and fully integrate Augmenta’s products into its broader portfolio over the next few years. This investment further demonstrates Raven’s commitment to expanding on over four decades of precision ag technology leadership. For example, the company’s industry-leading Hawkeye® 2 nozzle control system is already a preferred integration partner for many Sense & Act providers. Integrating Augmenta’s solution will allow Raven customers to maximize its value by unlocking Sense & Act functionalities with simple plug-and-play hardware and interfaces. Overall, the addition of vision based VRA to Raven’s suite of precision technologies will give current and future customers a complete, easy-to-use package of automated spraying capabilities at a value-based price.
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