Case Study - Sentek

Sentek is a global leader in the manufacture and distribution of sensors that measure soil moisture, salinity, and temperature, which provide critical smart-farming data for more efficient water use and improved crop management. 

In a collaboration that merges advanced manufacturing capabilities with agricultural innovation, Flinders University’s Factory of the Future is working with Sentek to innovate on existing product design, and partially automate assembly steps using collaborative robots to ensure robustness, and scalability of future operations. This body of work focuses on designing and demonstrating a cobot work cell concepts, making recommendations for cobot adoption strategy, to improve the efficiency and scalability of soil probe production.

The outcomes of this work will position Sentek to expand into underdeveloped international markets, and improve product quality & cost-effectiveness.

Researchers:

• Kosta Manning
• Dr Valerie O’Keeffe
• Associate Professor Sandy Walker