SeedSensor:
Put data behind seed wellbeing!
We at Bayer are looking for seed sized sensor solutions that monitor soil properties relevant for seed germination and early growth.
Within our SeedSensor challenge seven finalist teams were asked to plant an environmentally friendly SeedSensor, and start data driven yield optimization when seeds hit the ground.
Thanks to the teams from all over the world who gave their best with their innovative sensor solutions and made this virtual challenge so interesting and so much fun.
Congratulations to all of you!
Look forward to our next Grants4Tech challenge that will be posted here soon.
Build a seed sized sensor solution that monitors relevant soil properties for seed germination and growth. To be of practical use, SeedSensors need to be environmentally friendly, easy to use, and small.
The Opportunity
Today data driven field management starts the moment plants emerge. Why not earlier? Why is it so hard to sense below the surface? Soil sensors have a couple of disadvantages. They require a dedicated effort to plant and return data of just one spot. How to overcome this limitation? Make them small so that they fit in planters, are planted without additional effort, and distribute many of these sensors over the field. A mesh of sensors will provide a good overview of the soil properties close to every seed.
Your SeedSensor solution should cover following aspects:
- Measure relevant parameters accurately
Parameters like temperature and moisture need to be measured. Show us also further parameters that could be of interest for us. - Be as small as possible, preferably of the size of a seed
Present us a sensor that can be put into the soil using a corn planter. The smaller the sensor, the better! - Offer robust and practical solution
Data collected by the SeedSensor should be transmitted successfully to a receiver device. Make your sensor independent of external power supply. - Environmental friendliness
Your solution needs to be either fully biodegradable, reusable, or recyclable.
The applications submitted by the entrants / entrant teams should cover these features as far as available. We are also interested in innovative partial solutions.
For more information about provided materials and other important questions have a look at our FAQs. To learn more about specific challenge conditions download our factsheet here.
c2sensor
DIRTS
Geabit
innoME
Sens-o-Spheres
Sentek
Superhands
Meet the team
Carl-Helmut Coulon
Head of Future Manufacturing Concepts, INVITE GmbH
+ 49 214 31203125
„Sense below the surface? Once again Grants4Tech explores the unknown: Is today's cutting edge technology applicable to today's challenges?”
Christoph Schaub
Product Supply IT Innovation Manager, Bayer Business Services
+49 214 30 66768
„Bringing Grants4Tech to the Ag Tech field is exciting, I am looking forward to unlock unseen possibilities”
Tom Maes
Head PS Innovation Management,
Bayer AG
+49 214 30 34997
„Small, biodegradable, and powerful. Is a combination of all three in one SeedSensor possible in 2020.”
Tonia Tonnes
Projects, INVITE GmbH
+49 214 3120 3105
„I'm really excited to see which teams with which innovative solutions will manage our SeedSensor challenge”
Oliver Winkelmann
Innovation Manager, Bayer AG
+49 214 3031456
„Looking forward to experience the cutting edge of sensor technology”
