Innosuisse supports innovative industrial research projects involving research centres and industry collaboration. The project SmartTrap - Machine learning enhanced traps for pest insects monitoring , led by Professor Cesare Alippi and Dr Alberto Ferrante between 1 November 2021 and 31 October 2024, saw the collaboration of Agroscope , xFarm Technologies and Federazione Orto-Frutticola Ticinese as partners. The two USI researchers worked on developing a new technology aimed at improving pest control strategies and introducing applications like insect population estimation.
Automatic monitoring is conducted using innovative automatic traps designed to be placed in open fields and greenhouses. These traps vary depending on the insect species being targeted and are equipped with cameras that automatically detect the presence of specific pests. As concrete case studies, five different insect species were considered. The technologies used enable counting insects over time through deep learning models, even at high frequencies (e.g., every hour). This capability has been utilised to develop predictive models for the phenology and dynamics of specific insect species. Automatic monitoring of phytophagous insects has already been integrated into the digital platform currently marketed by xFarm.
