Intelligent irrigation: Karlsruhe startup HelioPas AI helps farmers through the hot summer

For centuries, farmers have relied on their intuition for the nature of the soil and the weather to irrigate their fields. Now there is a computer system to control the artificial irrigation of arable land intelligently and sustainably. The app, which goes by the name of “Waterfox”, was developed by the Karlsruhe-based start-up HelioPas AI.

“After three dry heatwave summers in a row, the demand for our solutions is very high,” says company founder Ingmar Wolff. This summer, the “water fox application” was put through its paces, and the system is now to be further developed to market maturity in the fall and winter.

Evaluation of satellite data

For the Waterfox app, satellite data on the composition of the soil is collected and evaluated together with the current weather forecasts using artificial intelligence. Each field is monitored separately at . Farmers then receive tips on how to irrigate their fields as required. There is no need to install your own sensors to record the soil and weather data.

“Thanks to the analysis of a great deal of data, users of the app know exactly how much water the soil needs,” says Wolff. Targeted dosing of water can save costs and improve the quality of agricultural produce at the same time. If too little water is applied during a hot spell, the fruit in the fields will dry out. If too much water is applied to the fields, important nutrients are washed out and the quality of grain and vegetables is literally watered down. Proper irrigation also plays an important role in the fight against pests. The reason: some pests feel particularly at home in damp conditions.

“The message has reached the industry”

For Wolff, an intelligent irrigation system really makes work easier, especially when cultivating many different types of land. “A part-time farmer can still manage his few hectares well and sustainably with daily inspections,” emphasizes Wolff. But for larger farms with several thousand hectares of farmland, the use of digital systems to optimize production processes is essential.

“This message has already reached the industry. That’s why farmers are generally open to innovations,” says Wolff. However, systems such as “Waterfox” must not only provide the promised added value, but also be intuitive to use with a smartphone . “Farmers spend a lot of time outdoors and don’t sit in front of a computer for long periods of time,” says Wolff. “They need simple programs for the mobile devices.”

Company headquarters in the CyberLab

HelioPas AI was founded a good two years ago by the two students Ingmar Wolff and Benno Ommerborn at a hackathon. In order to professionalize the idea, industrial engineer Wolff and computer scientist Ommeborn decided to found a company in mid-2019. The two inventors received the special prize at the Grow student start-up competition organized by the university group PionierGarage. The start-up is financed by grants from the EXIST funding program: HelioPas AI GmbH is based in the CyberLab start-up incubator of the CyberForum IT entrepreneur network in Hoepfner Burg. Wolff and Ommeborn value the proximity to the numerous technically-oriented research institutions in Karlsruhe. “You can always find a competent contact person here, especially for technical questions,” says Wolff.