A wireless sensor network to help woolgrowers remotely monitor their farms has won the inaugural Australian Wool Innovation Tech eChallenge.
Six students from Charles Sturt University and TAFE NSW Wagga Wagga received the $20,000 cash prize at the grand final judging last week in Adelaide.
Wireless Farm team spokesperson Dan Winson said their innovation would save farmers considerable time checking their livestock and water points.
The low cost kit is driven by solar-powered wireless links, which can be used to transmit data from 360-degree cameras, up to 10 kilometres on the farm.
Wireless Farm has also custom-developed water sensors to monitor trough levels at a fraction of the price of present technologies.
The inventors were able to demonstrate their model with a working protoype at Gundagai, NSW, where a camera is mounted on top of a hill and can provide images for the majority of the farm.
“The farmer is fortunate they only have one camera for 80 per cent of the farm and at the cost we are talking about (about $1000), it is feasible to cover large properties with them,” Mr Winson said.
AWI partnered with CSU and the Entrepreneurship Commercialisation and Innovation Centre for University of Adelaide to encourage entrepreneurs to develop labour-saving technology and improve sheep health and welfare and productivity.
Working in teams, participants developed products and pitched them to a panel of judges.
Three teams from the University of Adelaide and another from CSU were runner-up, receiving $10,000.
Their ideas included a 3D-printed phone clip-on device that could enable woolgrowers to measure wool quality from the paddock and woolshed in real time and a remote-controlled camera sensor device incorporating infrared photo capability to monitor water resources.
AWI chief executive officer Stuart McCullough said the organisation was delighted to have been part of an innovative approach to attracting the best young minds in the tech world to wool.
“The variety and quality of innovative digital ideas to improve the productivity and profitability for Australian woolgrowers has been great to see,” he said.
University of Adelaide entrepreneurship vice-chancellor Noel Lindsay said it had provided them with great insight into the issues the wool industry faces.
“It has been a great privilege to inspire young entrepreneurs to look for innovative solutions that can help shape the future of the wool industry,” he said.
The next AWI eTech Challenge will commence in late July.
- Details: adelaide.edu.au/echallenge/woolinnovations
