AI Tulip Planter Machine plants 1 billion tulips per year

Robovision cooperated with ISO Horti Innovators to integrate Computer Vision AI into a tulip planter machine. The tulip bulb planter automates the labor-intensive tulip planting process.

Tulip planting with AI: rethinking a centuries-old process

Each year, an estimated two billion tulip bulbs are planted across the globe making the tulip one of the world’s most popular flowers. No surprise then that The Netherlands, famous for its tulips, is the biggest producer. For centuries, sorting and planting tulip bulbs has been done manually. Today, it's difficult to find people to carry out this work. Growers now face dilemmas around importing labor, increased regulation, and exploding costs.

Automating the tulip bulb planting process

ISO Horti, an innovative supplier of automation machinery for greenhouse horticulture, collaborated with Robovision to develop a way to help tulip growers automate the entire bulb planting process; the resulting ISO Bulb Planting System includes four versatile robotic arms. 

Horticulture automation with Computer Vision AI

Thanks to the Robovision Vision AI platform integration, the grower can detect the tulip bulb’s shoot, making sure the position is angled for optimal growth—ultimately resulting in healthy, beautiful tulips. It is a unique system that automates expensive, labor-intensive tasks netting higher capacity per employee. Moreover, the system is easy to operate and guarantees a consistent planting quality.

• Planting over 1 billion tulips a year—that’s half of global production.
• Robovision’s AI software enables the ISO Bulb Planting System to plant 10,000 tulip bulbs per hour.
• For each bulb, a 3D model is created on the fly to determine optimal positioning and remove sour bulbs.
• Replaces the equivalent of 7 hard-to-find seasonal FTEs.

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