The 4th industrial revolution is underway! It reflects in a rapid evolution of our production and processing systems towards industry 4.0. This refers to a new generation of robotic and intelligent means of production. With the digital revolution, the boundaries between the physical and digital worlds are getting thinner, giving life to interconnected farms, production systems and 4.0 processing industries in which employees, machines and products interact. The 4th industrial revolution particularly involves the development of sensors and field analysers monitoring production and analysing products. Instead of bringing the sample to the laboratory, these new innovative tools are becoming essential tools for the on-site assurance of quality, safety and traceability of agricultural production and agri-food products.
The MOBILAB project aims at designing and implementing a mobile laboratory by 2024 for applications demonstrations of innovative sensors and analysers in agriculture and food/feed industry. Therefore, many sensors and analysers will be proposed for the characterization of raw materials and products, the monitoring of processes and the detection of contaminants and stresses (biological, chemical and microbiological). They are notably based on techniques relating to electronic and vibrational spectroscopy, hyperspectral imaging, digital microscopy and nanopore sequencing in molecular biology. These new developments are inherent to the approach of bringing the laboratory into the field. An approach that proves to be particularly interesting in the contexts of products from local food networks, on-farm processing, small companies and an increasingly circular economy.
After an initial test phase within the CRA-W facilities (farms, orchards, fields, greenhouses, technology halls), this mobile laboratory will enable the demonstration of the possibilities offered by innovative sensors and analysers in support of stakeholders in agriculture and the agri-food sector.
The MOBILAB project should thus contribute to removing the existing obstacle in Wallonia regarding the acceptance and use of these new technologies by the agricultural community and the Walloon companies.
This project was carried out as part of the activities of the field laboratory.
Funding
This project is funded by the Wallonia recovery plan. #WallonieRelance
