Mauricio Hidalgo, head of Robotics Project Installation and Commissioning for GMV’s Industry Sector, participated in the round-table discussion organized by HispaRob during the Spanish Automation Committee’s (CEA) symposium at the University of Almería. The event brought together the leading Spanish research groups and universities working in robotics, bioengineering, machine vision and marine automation, with the goal of strengthening collaboration between academia and business.

This edition placed special emphasis on the agri-food sector, in recognition of the strategic role of Almería’s agriculture both nationally and internationally. In this context, it addressed tech solutions that are driving a structural transformation in the automation and robotization of agricultural processes.

When his turn came, Mauricio Hidalgo presented various projects GMV is working on, combining artificial intelligence and advanced robotics to optimize key operations in the agri-food sector. For example, he highlighted the Greenbot Operational Group project to create an autonomous and modular robotic vehicle. This solution was already tested in the field and is capable of identifying weeds through machine vision and neutralizing them by applying phytosanitary products in a precise and localized manner, thus reducing the use of chemicals and increasing the efficiency of treatments.

The Greenbot project will last 21 months, concluding on 30 June 2025. It is funded by the 2022 call for grants for European Innovation Partnership (EIP) Operational Groups as part of the Rural Development Program of Andalusia 2014-2022, under the 7 July 2020 Order issued by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development (sub-measures 16.1.2 and 16.1.3).

Use cases for uPathWay were also presented. This solution is a scalable, hardware-agnostic AI-powered platform for managing robotic fleets, and makes it possible to automate agricultural tasks such as crop harvesting, sorting by size or ripeness, inspection of agricultural assets, and precision spraying, as mentioned in the previous project. These technologies are positioning GMV as a key player in the digital transformation of the agri-food sector, well poised to meet the challenges of sustainability, efficiency, and food safety.