ETRI to Demonstrate "Precision Agriculture" in Damyang... Building an Innovative Agricultural Ecosystem

Precision agriculture demonstration projects are being launched in Damyang, South Jeolla Province. The goal of these demonstrations is to boost the productivity of local farms and lay the groundwork for industrialization through joint research on next-generation agricultural technologies.

The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) announced on December 4 that it will collaborate with Damyang County, the Smart Farm Research Center at the Gangneung Branch of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), and the Core Research Center for Human-Robot Interaction at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) to develop and demonstrate AI-robot convergence smart agriculture technologies.

ETRI researchers are testing a mobile robot navigation algorithm for use in agricultural fields. Provided by Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute

The four organizations plan to jointly develop core new technologies that span the entire smart agriculture cycle, including AI- and data-driven precision cultivation, crop growth environment optimization, autonomous agricultural robot operation, and productivity prediction models, in order to establish a sustainable smart agriculture ecosystem.

In particular, they aim to build an on-site demonstration platform with direct participation from local farmers so that the developed technologies can be applied and disseminated in real-world settings.

In these demonstrations, ETRI is focusing on developing next-generation intelligent agricultural operation models utilizing artificial general intelligence (AGI) and multi-agent technologies. The strategy is to move away from the traditional approach of managing agricultural elements such as crops, environments, and robots individually, and instead build an intelligent agricultural operation model that integrates analysis, decision-making, and management, thereby enhancing productivity and operational efficiency in agriculture.

Within the demonstration project, ETRI will oversee the development of core smart agriculture technologies based on AGI and multi-agent systems, and lead the verification of technologies that integrate greenhouses, sensors, robots, and data. ETRI will also establish a collaborative network among academia, industry, research institutes, and government, and take charge of planning cooperative projects with government and local authorities.

Damyang County will support productivity improvement by providing smart agriculture demonstration complexes, expanding agricultural infrastructure, and offering technology dissemination and education to local farmers. The KIST Smart Farm Convergence Research Center will focus on developing data-driven crop management and environment optimization technologies, as well as demonstrating unmanned agricultural systems and operational models.

The KAIST Core Research Center for Human-Robot Interaction will lead research on AGI-based agricultural data analysis and prediction models, as well as the development of smart agriculture service models based on robot interaction technologies.

Through these demonstrations, each organization will work to establish an automated and intelligent smart agriculture operation system based on AI, robots, and sensors, in order to address the structural challenges facing Korean agriculture, such as climate change, a declining agricultural population, and reduced productivity.

Ultimately, the goal is to gradually disseminate practical agricultural innovation technologies, such as precision cultivation models, yield prediction algorithms, intelligent agricultural robot systems, and integrated control platforms.

Byun Woojin, Director of the ETRI Daegu-Gyeongbuk Research Headquarters, stated, "Smart agriculture that combines AI and robotics is a key growth area for the future of agriculture, as it can simultaneously increase productivity and efficiency. ETRI will take the lead in creating a sustainable agricultural innovation ecosystem by advancing both the development and on-site demonstration of smart agriculture technologies."

Meanwhile, in October, ETRI signed a business agreement for "AI-Robot Convergence Smart Agriculture Technology Development and Demonstration Cooperation" with Damyang County, the KIST Smart Farm Convergence Research Center at the Gangneung Branch, and the KAIST Core Research Center for Human-Robot Interaction at the ETRI Daegu-Gyeongbuk Research Headquarters.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.