Developing Connected Agri-Tech Sensors for Real-Time Vineyard Monitoring

Precision agriculture is transforming vineyard management through real-time monitoring, predictive analytics and data-driven decisions in the field. An agri-tech specialist partnered with T&S to develop a connected sensor platform able to detect vineyard anomalies and generate real-time mapping data during operations. The project centred on a tractor-mounted embedded system combining sensors, electronics, software and industrialised hardware for demanding agricultural environments, turning an initial proof of concept into a production-ready solution.

Client context

The client, a European agri-tech company specialising in intelligent vineyard monitoring, aimed to accelerate the industrialisation of an innovative sensing platform for vine analysis and anomaly detection. The solution had to operate directly in vineyards with reliable real-time mapping, under strong seasonal constraints with limited testing windows, and required a partner able to manage hardware, firmware, mechanics and industrialisation within accelerated timelines.

Business challenges

• Redesign the prototype into a robust, industrialised platform adapted to field conditions, vibration and outdoor environments
• Evolve hardware, camera integration, firmware and UI components simultaneously while keeping development agile
• Prepare for industrial production: supplier selection, bill-of-materials optimisation and pre-series manufacturing
• Balance rapid development cycles with regulatory and industrialisation analysis to meet deployment deadlines

The T&S solution

T&S delivered an end-to-end engineering approach across pre-study, product development and industrialisation. It began with a detailed analysis of the proof of concept to identify industrialisation gaps, technical constraints and regulatory considerations. T&S then led engineering across mechanical design, embedded hardware, firmware, camera integration and human-machine interface, selecting mechanical architectures combining plastic and sheet-metal components to accelerate prototyping and industrial realisation. The teams supported supplier selection and bill-of-materials preparation to improve production readiness, and contributed to pre-series production enabling an initial industrial batch before larger-scale deployment.

Technologies & expertise

• SolidWorks
• Altium Designer
• Embedded hardware platforms
• Real-time mapping systems
• Intelligent sensing technologies

Results & business value

• Successful transition from experimental proof of concept to an industrialised agri-tech platform
• Accelerated product maturity with support for future production scalability
• Pre-series manufacturing prepared and platform robustness improved for field deployment
• Demonstrated how connected sensing supports more precise, data-driven agriculture

Conclusion

The project highlights T&S's expertise in developing connected industrial products combining embedded systems, mechanics, software and industrialisation. Through an integrated engineering approach, T&S supported an intelligent vineyard-monitoring solution delivering real-time agricultural insights in the field, illustrating the growing role of connected technologies and embedded intelligence in precision agriculture.