Infosys Pioneers Innovative 5G program to Bring Autonomy to Agriculture Machinery with Schmiede.one and FIR at RWTH Aachen University

Infosys in collaboration with Schmiede.one GmbH & Co and FIR at RWTH Aachen University is pioneering an innovative program “5G.NATURAL” piloting an autonomous swarm of agriculture machinery that will boost cultivation productivity.

With record labor shortages in the agriculture sector over the last two years, local cultivation rates have impacted farmers livelihoods, exacerbated supply chain issues, and worried consumers across the continent.

Through the project, funded by the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Infosys and its partners are developing a scalable, modular and intelligent swarm system of autonomous harvesting machines that will enable farmers to ensure an economic and sustainable harvest thanks to the resilient and reliable 5G system built specifically to support rural areas. The modular intelligent swarm system will enable farmers to overcome some of the disadvantages of large machines such as soil compaction, and water and resource consumption.

The pilot is currently focused near Düsseldorf with the aim of unearthing the areas of refinement needed for the new technology in rural areas, as well as to highlight the opportunities for agricultural businesses.

In the future, the solution could be rolled out not only in developed countries to help tackle the impact of labor shortages, but also in developing countries to help farmers overcome the challenges of large fields and ensure healthy cultivation rates.