Connected Farms provides the connectivity layer that keeps SwarmFarm's robots and their operators connected while working, including on sprayer units operating autonomously in the field.
"Having good quality connectivity is a key part of decision-making in farming now," says Will McCarthy, Chief Product Officer at SwarmFarm Robotics.
With reliable connectivity in place, SwarmFarm's robots can stream data on weed hits, chemical use per hectare, and machine status straight to the operator's iPad in real time, and flag faults, stoppages, or empty tanks the moment they happen - rather than an operator finding out hours later, or not at all. For machines that can be working 200 kilometres from the farmhouse, that visibility is the difference between autonomy and guesswork.
Connected Farms and SwarmFarm are now trialling Low Earth Orbit (LEO) technology on board the robots, delivering up to 150 Mbps while machines operate in the field at their usual working speed - a level of connectivity farmers haven't had access to before.