A PARTNERSHIP FOR A HEALTHIER PLANET: AGILEHAND AND ZEROTOXBOT’s JOINT MISSION TO ELIMIANTE CHEMICALS IN FARMIN
Use case in a Nutshell
Lab4Impact is developing ZeroToxBot, a DeepTech solution for sustainable crop protection that eliminates weeds and soil pests without chemicals, toxins, or water. Together with FBK and UNINOVA, the partners are co-developing an advanced “sorter-like” sensing system that combines AI-driven vision, photonics and sensor fusion.
The goal is to enable continuous, 24/7 detection and classification of weeds and pests under changing light conditions, so that ZeroToxBot can operate reliably both day and night and maximise field efficiency.
About the technology
SMART SENSING PACKAGE
The collaboration is built around the Smart Sensing Package, a modular multimodal sensor-and-AI platform developed within the AGILEHAND ecosystem for real-time environmental detection and classification.This Smart Sensing Package enables robust, continuous operation under variable field conditions, integrating low-power embedded hardware, sensor fusion, and AI models tailored for 24/7 agricultural deployment.
About the collaboration partners
FBK (Fondazione Bruno Kessler) contributes expertise in advanced sensing, AI and data processing, supporting the design and validation of the smart sensing system for robust weed and pest detection.
UNINOVA brings know-how in electronics, embedded systems and integration, helping to implement and optimise the multi-sensor hardware platform that will be deployed on ZeroToxBot in real agricultural environments.
Lab4Impact is the DeepTech company behind ZeroToxBot, focusing on sustainable crop protection technologies that can replace conventional agrochemicals while improving soil health and reducing environmental impact.
Description of the Collaboration
Problem Addressed
ZeroToxBot must be able to continuously and precisely detect weeds and soil pests under variable light conditions, 24 hours a day, including challenging scenarios such as low light, shadows, glare or artificial illumination in the field.
This requires a sensing system that is both highly accurate and robust to environmental variability, while still being practical to deploy on agricultural machinery.
Solution
The collaboration leverages the Smart Sensing Package being developed within AGILEHAND, integrating it directly into the ZeroToxBot platform. This package combines multimodal sensors, adaptive illumination, and AI-powered detection models into a unified system designed for real-time, in-field operation.
By building on this AGILEHAND technology, the partners are creating a sensing solution that:
Delivers robust weed and pest detection across variable day- and night-time conditions
Uses sensor fusion to improve accuracy and reliability
Operates efficiently on embedded, energy-aware hardware suitable for large-scale agricultural deployment
This AGILEHAND-based smart sensing foundation accelerates ZeroToxBot’s path toward a fully autonomous, chemical-free crop protection system.
Execution
The AGILEHAND partners are jointly developing the technologies that will power ZeroToxBot in real farming conditions.
Multimodal sensor platform
FBK and UNINOVA are co-designing a robust sensor suite that integrates visual, photonic and environmental inputs for stable, real-time detection in the field.24/7 AI detection
The teams are creating AI algorithms optimized for day- and night-time operation, ensuring reliable weed and pest classification under constantly changing light and weather conditions.Energy-efficient, scalable architecture
The consortium is optimizing hardware and software for low-power use and large-scale deployment, enabling ZeroToxBot to operate continuously in demanding agricultural environments.
Together, these efforts accelerate ZeroToxBot’s readiness and strengthen its contribution to a more digitalized, chemical-free and decarbonized food chain.
Host Role (FBK and Uninova)
FBK and UNINOVA act as the technology hosts, providing expertise in sensing, photonics, AI and embedded electronics, as well as support for experimentation and prototyping within the AGILEHAND framework.
Beneficiary Role (Lab4Impact)
Lab4Impact / ZeroToxBot is the industrial beneficiary, integrating the smart sensing system into its product and validating it under real agricultural conditions to unlock new, chemical-free crop protection capabilities and business models.
Results of the Collaboration
This use case is currently in progress, and therefore no final results are available yet.
Project info:
This use case is part of FBK and Uninova involvement in the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme AGILEHAND, under Grant Agreement no. 101092043.
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