The FieldDataSync research project, funded by the German government, has officially started. The aim of this pioneering project with participation of Fendt is to develop a manufacturer-independent, wireless communication solution for ag machinery fleets that does not require an internet connection.
Until now, machines from different manufacturers have only been able to exchange data via detours such as USB sticks or dedicated cloud solutions. However, many farms rely on mixed fleets. In the future, the project aims to establish secure collaboration between several machines from different manufacturers in the same field through wireless communication by exchanging process data in real time. The FieldDataSync project is being carried out in close co-operation between renowned universities, companies and associations.
The consortium consists of the following partners:
- Technical University of Munich (TUM)
- Saarland University of Applied Sciences (HTW Saar)
- AGCO/Fendt
- LACOS
- OSB connagtive GmbH
- digisaar UG
The FieldDataSync project is also supported by the following associated partners:
- AEF Agricultural Industry Electronics Foundation e.V.
- Claas Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH
- ITK Engineering GmbH
- Maschinenfabrik Bernard Krone GmbH & Co. KG
- Satel Oy
The three-year project is being supported by funding. The first results and prototypes are expected as early as next year.
The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) on the basis of a resolution of the German Bundestag. The project sponsor is the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) as part of the BMEL’s digitalisation strategy.
About the project partners
The Chair of Agricultural Mechatronics (Prof. Dr Timo Oksanen) at TUM was founded in 2019. The research focus of the chair is on technologies that enable autonomous and semi-autonomous driving in the agricultural sector and precision agriculture, including positioning, navigation, path planning, motion control and sensor fusion technologies as well as methods known from robotics research. In addition, the chair focuses on communication technology in agricultural machinery, future architectures for intelligent agricultural vehicle control systems and supporting standardisation in these areas on an international level.
The Transport Telematics research group at Saarland University of Applied Sciences (htw saar) has been conducting research in the field of information and communication systems for intelligent transport systems (Intelligent Transportation Systems, ITS) since 2004.
In addition to various research vehicles, it operates the ITS Test Field Merzig (ITeM), part of the digital Franco-German-Luxembourgish test field for automated and connected driving and a practical laboratory for testing communication systems. In addition to expertise in the fields of ITS, electromobility and automated driving, the traffic telematics research group at htw saar is characterised above all by its interdisciplinary mobility expertise.
LACOS has been developing mobile software for the agricultural sector for over 30 years with a constantly growing, highly qualified team. For 20 years, the focus has been on GPS solutions for precision farming. In particular, LACOS has built up expertise in essential functions (Guidance, Section Control, Variable Rate, Steering, Auto Turn) that national and international agricultural machinery manufacturers implement in their machines, as well as in special applications for tractors and implements.
OSB connagtive GmbH was founded in 2021 as a separate entity from the former OSB AG. OSB connagtive GmbH develops almost exclusively software solutions for machine control and communication in the field of ISOBUS (ISO 11783) for the agricultural machinery industry and licences these to OEMs and suppliers. This also includes future functionalities and follow-on technologies such as high-speed ISOBUS and wireless in-field communication, as defined and standardised within the framework of the association work at VDMA and AEF.
The young company supports various sectors of the economy with consulting and engineering services in the transition to Industry 4.0, offering expertise in future-oriented technologies such as the Internet of Things, cloud computing, wireless & mobile communication and automation. Digisaar UG would be commissioned to work on the project.
