IMEC

IMEC

Stichting IMEC Nederland (IMEC-NL) is located at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, and is part of Holst Centre, an independent open-innovation R&D center that develops generic technologies for an Intuitive Internet of Things (I2oT) - a smart Internet-of- Things (IoT), that unobtrusively surrounds us and interacts with us as individuals, bringing comfort, safety and wellbeing. This development is based on IMEC-NL's longstanding expertise and excellent track record in radio technology, wireless sensing, ultra-low power electronics, body area networks, diagnostics and flexible electronics: the building blocks to create an easy-to-use Internet of Things.

Stichting IMEC Nederland has around 125 employees from over 20 nationalities. It conducts applied research in the field of Wireless Autonomous Transducer Solutions (WATS), aiming at delivering miniaturized, all-integrated autonomous and wireless devices. Two innovation themes are investigated: “connected health solutions (CHS)” and “internet of things (IoT)”. These are based on its longstanding expertise and excellent track record in radio technology, wireless sensing, ultra-low power, electronics, body area networks, and diagnostics. 

 

Contribution to PLANTaR

  • IMEC NL is responsible for the development of EC sensor
  • In PLANtAR project, the aim is to make this sensor suitable for extended use in more challenging applications such as substrate and soil monitoring where fouling, calibration and long-term stability are clear challenges
  • To deploy sensors in large numbers to test the application on a relevant scale
  • Imec has developed a silicon-based fluidic sensor using standard microfabrication techniques while not impeding on long-term stability. Several measured parameters are all incorporated on a single die (< 1 cm2) including EC and T sensor. First field tests in greenhouses (Rockwool substrates in the project Grow!) and field tests in surface water showed that these sensors provide accurate data over periods of several months without maintenance or recalibration in these harsh environments.  
  • Miniaturized monitoring sensor systems for plants and agriculture

    Miniaturized monitoring sensor systems for plants and agriculture

    [PLANtAR]

  • Affordable, highly integrated, biodegradable solutions

    The PLANtAR project focuses on the development of affordable, highly integrated, miniaturized sensors and tightly meshed sensor networks (including nano-sensors and paper-based microfluidic devices), and applied intelligence in three areas: precision agriculture (field/urban) , Greenhouse/indoor breeding and farm monitoring. In addition, it aims to reduce the environmental impact and decrease cost of these technologies by ensuring that the sensors are biodegradable and can be ploughed into the soil after their use.

  • Expertise across the value chain

    The PLANtAR consortium brings together partners from across the entire value chain. These include highly experienced technology and component providers as well as leading suppliers in agricultural applications and infrastructure with direct contact with end-users. The extensive mix of industrial partners features a high number of small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups with know-how in sensors and other relevant technologies. Several research institutes with expertise and excellent market access are also involved. With this breadth of knowledge and resources in agriculture and semiconductor and sensor technologies, the consortium will strengthen knowledge transfer and cut development time and costs leading to a faster time-to-market.

  • Growing market opportunities

    By minimizing risks and speeding development of new sensor technologies and communication networks, PLANtAR’s collaborative approach will deliver competitive offerings to the environmental sensor market – at both component and solution level. It will allow European companies to maintain or achieve market leadership positions and enable end-users to install low-cost sensor networks or expand existing ones.

Project Vision

PLANtAR aims to develop cost-efficient, miniaturized, networked and partly biodegradable monitoring electronics to help tackle one of the world’s biggest challenges: producing enough food over 9 billion people while also protecting the environment. In order to solve the dilemma between high-yield intensive agriculture and environmental protection, cross-sector approaches are required, with digitization playing a key role.

Project Goals

New kinds of electronic sensors, actuators, networks and other digital technologies can increase efficiency and improve environmental sustainability in many agricultural applications. Whether in fields, in greenhouses or in the new domains of indoor and urban farming (which now accounts for 20% of global food production), digital technologies have the potential to enable holistic monitoring of production and growing conditions. Sensors can provide timely warnings of plant stress and / or diseases. By measuring factors such as soil moisture, EC and content of nitrogen, ammonia, surface temperature, solar radiation, CO2 and detecting pests and plant pathogens, digital technologies can help significantly increase yields per cultivated area. And at the same time, they can assist in reducing water, energy, fertilizer and pesticide use.

Project Outcome

NEWS

Third Year Meeting

Third Year Meeting

On the 24th and 25th of October, the PLANtARs partners came again together, this time in Spain,

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Smart System Integration conference 2023

Smart System Integration conference 2023

The PLANtAR project was present on the Smart System Integration conference 2023 in Bruges. The

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Third Half Year Meeting

Third Half Year Meeting

On the 17th and 18th of April, the PLANtARs partners came together in the

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EFECS 2022

EFECS 2022

EFECS is the international forum to ‘Create impact by collaborative innovation! for an

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PLANtAR second half year Meeting

PLANtAR second half year Meeting

On the 15th of June, the PLANtAR Project organized its second half year meeting which has been

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2nd Review Meeting

2nd Review Meeting

The 2nd Review Meeting took place on the 6th of December 2022 in Munic, Germany at the Infineon

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PUBLICATIONS

Founded
Funders
Companies involved
Countries

FUNDING

WE ARE PROUD TO BE WORKING TOGETHER WITH OUR PARTNERS AND FUNDERS.

 

Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung

Education, research and innovation are the central fields of action for Germany's future. The federal government

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Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland

The Netherlands Enterprise Agency supports entrepreneurs, NGOs, knowledge institutes and organisations. We aim to

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Partners

KEY APPLICATION AREAS

  • Digital Industry
  • Systems and Components: Architecture, Design & Integration
  • Process Technology, Equipment, Materials and Manufacturing for ECS

COUNTRIES INVOLVED

  • Germany
  • Netherlands
  • Spain

Fraunhofer ENAS

The Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nano Systems ENAS is the specialist and development partner in the field of

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Freudenberg

The Freudenberg Industrie Siebdruck GmbH is a modern, medium-sized screen-printing company located in

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Infineon

Infineon Technologies AG (IFAG), Neubiberg, Germany, is a world leader in semiconductor solutions that make life easier, safer and greener.

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KSI Meinsberg

The Kurt Schwabe Institut für Mess- und Sensortechnik Meinsberg e.V. (KSI Meinsberg) has more than 75 years of experience in

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Alteria

Alteria Automation SL is a high-tech engineering company based in Madrid since 2017. Its activity is focused on the development,

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Grodan

We supply innovative and sustainable stone wool growing media solutions for the professional horticultural sector, based on Precision Growing

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Alianza Nanotecnologia Diagnostica

Alianza Nanotecnológica Diagnóstica ASJ S.L. (ANT) is a company created in 2020, which was born with the aim of meeting

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Evalan

Evalan is a fast-growing and innovative development and engineering partner in the field of the Internet of Things. We cover the complete IoT

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Wageningen

Wageningen Research (WR) is a collection of specialized agricultural focused research institutes in the Netherlands. It collaborates

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IMEC

Stichting IMEC Nederland (IMEC-NL) is located at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, and is part of Holst Centre, an independent

...
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Munisense

Munisense provides online and real-time insight into noise, water quality and groundwater levels. This allows managers and policymakers to

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Alphasip

AlphaSIP Santa Clara intends to take advantage of its acquired experience and technology in the clinical field in order to develop new

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Hansenhof

Since over 20 years Hansenhof_electronic is engaged with mobile sensor systems and applications in agriculture, since more than 10 years

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