The integration of technologies into the robotic solutions and support systems that form part of a new model for sustainable, efficient horticulture in greenhouse crops has been the focus of the latest work carried out under the European LIFE ACCLIMATE project. The research aims to respond to an increasingly demanding agricultural production context, marked by harsher summers and winters and by growing pressure on resources such as water, fertilisers and energy.

With 23 months completed out of a total of 47, the progress meeting held in Almería, with the participation of the European Commission reviewer, marked the project’s halfway point and served to share results, review the current development status and prepare the next work packages.

After developing different solutions to ensure the manoeuvrability and movement of ground robots inside greenhouses, the CTC Technological Centre is contributing its expertise and know-how to the integration of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and decision support systems (DSS) to optimise data collection.

In this regard, the Navigation and Robotics team has developed a remote-control device for the information acquisition system, prototyped the robot structure using aluminium frames to test mass distribution and optimised the battery circuit to improve protection.

CTC has also carried out numerous test missions and is working on a multispectral model with thermal and RGB cameras to extract water-stress indicators. These lines of work reflect the high technical demands of a project that represents a key opportunity to drive sustainability in greenhouse agriculture.

During the progress meeting, a robot and drone demonstration was also held in the University of Almería’s greenhouse, where some of the project’s technological solutions could be tested under real conditions. This showcase makes it possible to see how the combination of robotics, AI and DSS can contribute to more efficient, more sustainable agriculture that is better prepared to respond to the effects of climate change.

The project sets ambitious, measurable goals with high impact, such as increasing productivity by 25%, reducing water and energy consumption by 25%, eliminating chemical pesticides, cutting fertiliser use by more than 20% and reducing CO₂ emissions associated with the activity by 20%.

In the coming months, LIFE ACCLIMATE will continue to advance the development, integration and validation of its technologies in different greenhouse environments. The goal is to progressively bring these solutions closer to end users and strengthen their scalability, in a decisive phase for turning the consortium’s innovation into results that can be applied in the agricultural sector.

The University of Almería, which leads the research, hosted the progress meeting that marks the project’s halfway point. The project is scheduled to run until July 2028, and 11 other entities, including the company Acorde and the CTC Technological Centre, represent Cantabria in this initiative, which is funded with EUR 4.46 million.

This research is CTC’s second European project under the LIFE programme.

The project LIFE23-CCA-ES-LIFE-ACCLIMATE is co-financed by the European Union through the LIFE Programme under Grant Agreement No. 101157315