Conference

5th International VDI Conference - Automation and Robotics in Agriculture

Course number: 12KO901

Upcoming events:

04. – 05. June 2025
Düsseldorf

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The 5th international VDI conference on Automation and Robotics in Agriculture will be held in Dusseldorf (Germany) from June 4-5, 2025. This conference is designed to provide you with an overview and update of the automation market and will look at the challenges, opportunities and developments in robotic technology that will affect the industry over the next years. In a series of interactive round tables discussions, you will have the opportunity to learn from your colleagues and peers. Discuss relevant case studies and expand your professional network at this integral event for professionals working with automation and robotics in agricultural applications.

Automation and robotics: A growth industry

Thanks to robotics technology, the agricultural industry has made substantial advancements in recent years. This is particularly the case in areas such as livestock, where up to a third of farmers rely on robot-supported systems. From automated cleaning and milking to quality control of milk, for example, robotics has become an integral part of the livestock industry.

There is still great potential for future growth and further adoption of automatic systems in agricultural production. For example, robot technology has only just broken ground in plant cultivation. But considering the options for automatic harvesting, weeding, cutting, sowing, spraying, sorting and packaging, it is clear that there is still a long way to go, with a great deal of opportunity along the way.

The 5th VDI Automation and Robotics in Agriculture conference is the ideal event in which to discuss the current market situation as well as the potential for future opportunities. Find out about the benefits and challenges automation and robotics present and see which solutions can be deployed in your business. Get together with international colleagues and industry experts and learn from one another to further your own development.

Program

9:00

Registration & Welcome Coffee

10:00

Chair’s Welcome and Opening Address

Ole Green, Founder, Agrointelli, Denmark

10:15

Speed Networking

Make the most of this networking opportunity by participating in these quick and effective 1-to-1 interactions

I. Automation in Europe

10:30

Automation in European Agriculture – Where Are We from a Farmer‘s Point of View?

  • Solution landscape – easy or complex?
  • Which pain points are we trying to solve and are they the right ones?
  • Which hurdles do we need to overcome from a farmer‘s point of view? 
    Andreas Kaczmarczyk, VP Marketing, Kubota Holdings Europe BV, Netherlands
11:00

Fully Autonomous Machines and Tractors for a Profitable Ecology

  • Autonomy for Farming: How autonomy leverages new use cases and new way of farming
  • Autonomy as Support for Sustainability: How autonomy enables tools to be used more sustainably
  • Autonomy as Support for Profitability: How autonomy of agricultural machinery brings profitability at different timescales 
    Christophe Aubé, CEO, AgreenCulture & President, Robagri, France
11:30

Networking & Coffee Break

12:15

From Field to Data: Do We Have the Data Base for Agricultural Automation in Europe?

  • Advances in agricultural technology are outpacing the practical application of plant production expertise
  • The Big Data Disappointment: Current methods fail to produce extensive, high-quality, and standardized datasets across farms
  • Farmers are not data scientists – they need insights that provide causality, not just correlation 
    Jacob von der Decken, CCO, Tunen Limited, United Kingdom
12:45

Reduce Time to Market for Automated Ag Ecosystems by Equipping Conventional Implements with Retrofit Monitoring Kits

  • Smart Implements: Conventional implements turn into smart implements to ensure process reliability with automated systems
  • Error Detection: Various types of sensors with customized thresholds detect errors and malfunctions to remotely notify or warn supervisors
  • Easy Integration: Standard protocols make retrofitting simple and compatible
  • Real-World Testing: Test results and feedback on performance in combination with highly automated and autonomous vehicles 
    Michael Wiebeler, Field Application Engineer, ANEDO GmbH, Germany and Philipp Kamps, Product Management, AgXeed BV, Netherlands
13:15

Lunch

II. Safety & Regulations – Managing the Regulatory Landscape

14:45

Safe and Efficient Operation of Agricultural Machinery for Seamless Field-to-Road Transition

  • Automation Benefits in Agriculture: Boosts efficiency, productivity, and safety
  • Standards Integration: ISO 18497 (off-road) and SAE J3016 (on-road)
  • Agri-ODD: Standardizes complex agricultural operations and addresses environmental variability 
    Prof. Dr. Julius Schöning, Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science, Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, Germany
15:15

Navigating the Evolving Regulatory Landscape for Autonomous Agricultural Vehicles

  • The regulatory framework relevant to safety, functional safety, and cybersecurity for autonomous agricultural vehicles
  • Insights, solutions, and compliance efforts for several use cases
  • Impact on both technical solutions and business models 
    Tommy Ertbølle Madsen, CEO and Co-Founder, AgriRobot, Denmark
15:45

Networking & Coffee Break

16:30

Autonomous Agricultural Robots in a Public Road Setup – A Safe Road Crossing Robot

  • Navigation and route planning with multi fields including public road
  • A Danish test setup performed with the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority
  • Gains and benefits for farmers and growers 
    Gareth Edwards, Digital Infrastructure Product Manager, Agrointelli, Denmark
17:00

End of 1st Conference Day

Get-together

At the end of the first conference day we kindly invite you to use the relaxed and informal atmosphere for in-depth conversations with other participants and speakers.

9:30

III. Interactive Round Table Session

During the interactive Round Table Session, we invite you to engage directly with other experts. These consist of interactively moderated conversations on various topics. Discuss and identify challenges within the industry as well as problems, needs, and solutions. 

Here are the first announced topics: 
#1: Building a Sustainable Business Model for Automated Solutions in Agriculture | Daria Batukhtina, Sr. Manager Strategic Business Development, Innovation Center Europe, Kubota Holdings Europe BV, Netherlands 
#2: Partnering is Needed – How Can We Establish Equal Cooperation Between Large and Small Businesses? | Ole Green, Founder, Agrointelli, Denmark 

You will find more topics on our website prior to the event.

10:30

Networking & Coffee Break

IV. Sensors Perception in an Autonomy/Automation Context

11:00

Practical Insight: 4D Imaging Radar in Agriculture

  • Evolution “4D Imaging Radar”, ready for agriculture?
  • Reality check of use-cases: expectations vs. real-world experiences
  • Say goodbye to GNSS drift or signal loss – radar-based SLAM 
    Dipl.-Ing. Camille Marbach, Product Management Perception Off-Highway, Bosch Engineering GmbH, Germany
11:30

Scaling Autonomy: A Unified Sensor Fusion Approach from Roads to Agriculture

  • Geometrical Interpretable Filtering: Fuses sensor data over time for an interpretable model, improving object detection, tracking, and safety
  • Scalability Across Domains: Reduces costs and effort by enabling flexible, cross-domain deployment
  • Validation and Certification: Transparent design simplifies compliance with regulations and safety regulations
  • Real-World Demonstrations: Showcasing applications from trucking to agriculture for robust object detection 
    Tim Stahl, Co-Founder, driveblocks GmbH, Germany
12:00

Lunch

V. Livestock Automation – Solutions & Use Cases

13:30

Automating Livestock Management – How Automation Can Help Livestock Industry and Farmers

Slot reserved - Speaker to be announced

14:00

Advanced Technologies and Animal Welfare Go Hand in Hand – Use Cases from the Poultry Sector: Hyperspectral Imaging, Accelerated Electrons and a Multi-Axis Robot

  • The problem of day-old male chick culling – hyperspectral imaging for in ovo sex determination
  • Chemical free and improved hatching rates – accelerated electrons for hatching egg sanitization
  • Save resources and improve vaccination quality – a multi-axis robot for poultry vaccination 
    Jörg Hurlin, CEO and Founder, Agri Advanced Technologies GmbH, Germany
14:30

Networking & Coffee Break

VI. Robotics on the Fields

15:00

Automation vs. Autonomy – Tackle the Limits (of Farmers)

  • Practical insights of developing automated Ag-tec for robots
  • Sustainable automation – what drives us
  • The value of data and AI 
    Gregor Witzmann MSc., MBA, CEO, Farm-ING Smart Farm Equipment GesmbH, Austria
15:30

Growth of the Agri-Robot Market

  • Highlights & trends over the past 5 years
  • Added value by field examples: Less robotics, more automation?
  • Tech development vs. business process vs. human change vs. environment 
    Corné Rispens, MSc. BEng., Entrepreneur – Adoption of Agriculture Robots, DUCKSIZE, Netherlands
16:00

Closing Remarks

Ole Green, Founder, Agrointelli, Denmark

16:15

End of conference

Target Group

The 5th VDI Automation and Robotics in Agriculture conference is ideal for professionals and management in OEMs and suppliers in the agricultural industry. Amongst others, this conference will be of interest to:

  • Agricultural machinery manufacturers and agricultural equipment suppliers
  • Robot manufacturers and developers with a focus on agriculture
  • Farm and industrial automation companies
  • Software developers and systems integrators
  • Agricultural sensor technology vendors
  • Mobile and field robot vendors (farming and livestock)
  • Robotics start-ups (Hardware and Software)
  • Agricultural robot research organizations
  • Agricultural business consultants
  • Government agencies
  • The investor community

Your expert for the VDI Conference

We are pleased to announce that Prof. Ole Green, Founder of Agrointelli, Denmark will be the conference chair and support the conference with his expertise.

If you have any questions about the conference program or would like to actively participate as a speaker at the next conference, please contact Dr. Maria Georgiou-Smith.

Are you interested in promoting your company and products at the next VDI Automation and Robotics in Agriculture conference? Contact Vanessa Ulbrich for more details.

 

 

Exhibitors

  • MOBOTIC GmbH
Exhibitor packages with complementary ticket, net stand space and company entry in the exhibitor directory (print and online) can still be booked. Reserve one of the limited stand spaces in the specialist exhibition. Or become a sponsor for a comprehensive presence before and during the event.
Become an exhibitor or sponsor!

Book your ticket now

You’re interested in robotics and automation and how they will change the agricultural industry today and in the future? You’d like to find out about the challenges, opportunities and benefits inherent in implementing automation and robotics. Then book your space now at the 5th VDI Automation and Robotics in Agriculture conference.

In addition, also benefit from our parallel conference on "Connected Off-Highway Machines" free of extra charge.

 

Book event

Course number: 12KO901

5th International VDI Conference - Automation and Robotics in Agriculture

Düsseldorf, Radisson Blu Conference Hotel Düsseldorf

Available

Eventlocation information

Karl-Arnold-Platz 5
40474 Düsseldorf
Deutschland

+49 211/45530 Website
* Provisional price, there may be differences in VAT - the final price can be found in your order overview.