TRIBE is INESC TEC's Laboratory of Robotics and Internet of Things (IoT) for Smart Precision Agriculture and Forestry. It was founded in 2013 on the FEUP campus in Porto. Its mission is to develop robotics, automation and IoT solutions that raise the level of smart precision in agriculture and forestry, along with their profitability and automation.
Right time, right amount, right place.
That is the principle behind everything we build. Every litre of water, every gram of fertiliser and every hour of work should be applied where it is needed, in the amount that is needed, when it is needed.
Our vision
We see a future where farmers and forest managers have robots and connected sensors as everyday tools. These tools would take on dangerous, repetitive and physically demanding work, and they would turn each field, vineyard and forest into a source of reliable data for better decisions.
This is not about replacing people. It is about making agriculture and forestry safer, more sustainable and more attractive to work in, while keeping producers competitive. To get there, TRIBE follows a ten-year research roadmap aligned with:
- the societal challenges and research agendas of the European Union, including euRobotics and the EU strategic approach to agricultural research and innovation;
- FCT's Research and Innovation Thematic Agenda for Agrofood, Forestry and Biodiversity;
- FAO's agenda for food and agriculture and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;
- the agenda of TEC4AGRO-FOOD, INESC TEC's Innovation Area for Agro-Food and Forestry.
Where we work
TRIBE focuses on three demanding environments, where precision and automation make the biggest difference:
- Permanent crops, such as steep-slope vineyards, olive groves and fruit orchards.
- Forest biomass harvesting.
- Protected cultivation, both conventional and urban.
What we research
- Outdoor localisation and mapping.
- Outdoor artificial vision for perception and crop monitoring.
- Planning and controlling trajectories on irregular terrain.
- Grasping and manipulation for advanced tasks such as pruning and harvesting.
- IoT and digitalisation of existing agricultural and forestry machinery and irrigation systems.
- Collaborative and safety robotics, with advanced human-machine interfaces.
Positive impact on precision agriculture
Fewer inputs, less waste
Robots and machines that know exactly where they are can apply products only where they are needed. In our variable-rate spraying and fertilisation work, satellite positioning with EGNOS gives horizontal accuracy below one metre. This helps to reduce the over-application of fertilisers and plant protection products and to distribute them more precisely. That is good for the environment, for food safety and for farmers' costs.
Safer, lighter work on difficult terrain
Steep-slope vineyards, like those of the Douro, are among the hardest places to farm. TRIBE develops robots that can operate there and reduce workers' exposure to dangerous, repetitive or physically demanding tasks. The SCORPION robot, a precision spraying tool for steep-slope vineyards guided by Galileo signals, was tested in Portugal at an integration event that brought together 10 European partners.
Better decisions from better data
Connected devices such as smart traps, perception systems and ground robots collect detailed information about crops and soil. Positioning is combined with mapping algorithms, ground-penetrating radar and spectral sensors to produce maps for agronomic decision-support systems. The next step is to merge satellite imagery from the Copernicus programme with this in-field data.
Upgrading the machines farmers already own
Precision should not require replacing an entire fleet. Part of our work brings IoT and digital capabilities to existing implements, machinery and irrigation systems, making smart precision more affordable and easier to adopt.
From the lab to the field
TRIBE has developed a family of prototypes, including the AgRob robots and AgIoT. Our modular platforms, Modular-E for agriculture and Modular-X for forestry, have received awards and are now the basis of ecoBOTs.PT. This Portugal 2030 project, led by the agricultural machinery manufacturer Herculano, aims to develop, industrialise and validate a modular, scalable and interoperable robotic system for precision viticulture and forestry. Rather than manufacturing products ourselves, we work with companies so that the technology reaches farmers and forest owners.
Learn more
- TRIBE at INESC TEC
- TEC4AGRO-FOOD, INESC TEC's Innovation Area for Agro-Food and Forestry
- Science Bits: What happens in a robotics and IoT laboratory for smart precision agriculture and forestry?
Interested in collaborating, testing our technologies or joining the team? Get in touch.