New software, combined with AR glasses, is intended to make agriculture easier

With this type of visualization, irrigation can be handled more efficiently, said project leaders Matthias Husinsky from the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences and Francesco Vuolo from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (Boku) Vienna.

The software has created a bridge between the satellite data and reality in the field: “The direct visualization of data in the field using AR – where real conditions are merged with abstract, digital information – accelerates the process of gaining understanding enormously and will be used in the future AR glasses will be usable for everyone,” explained Husinsky. This would enable agricultural problems and challenges to be better assessed.

• More on the subject: ARmEO project

“More efficient and accurate” work

For example, the AR prototype can be used to compare one field of land with the neighboring one. But specific things such as the amount of irrigation – up to a week in advance – can also be observed, explained Vuolo, who had the idea for the research project. This makes work in the field “more efficient and precise than ever before.” This also results in a saving of resources, which benefits agriculture on the one hand and the environment on the other, said the Boku project manager.

It will take around five to ten years before farmers can use the software – the goal is to be ready for the market, says Husinsky. The use of AR should also be profitable for smaller agricultural operations, as the costs would be significantly lower compared to conventional analysis tools.

In order to advance the further development of the AR prototype, a follow-up project is already being planned. Then AR and drone flights could be used to monitor plant diseases or reduce accidents in alpine agriculture caused by unsafe ground conditions. The FH project manager also sees potential in the documentation of various data in the field – especially with regard to climate change, which leads to changes in agriculture. Use in the construction industry, landscape planning or archeology with georeferenced data is also conceivable.