The agricultural world is at a crossroads: faced with a growing labour shortage, it must respond to major challenges in improving productivity to feed an ever-growing population, while reducing environmental impact and limiting the use of plant protection products.

A real headache? Not necessarily.

Robotics could well be part of the solution. But for this technological transition to become a reality, several obstacles still need to be overcome:

• specific skills that are still too rare,
• standards that are not well suited,
• robots that do not always meet the specific needs of the field,
• a lack of perspective and clear indicators to assess their environmental impact,
• a lack of reliable and standardised data.

This is where the Great Agricultural Robotics Challenge comes in :

A unifying programme to accelerate the technological transformation of agriculture and develop concrete, sustainable solutions tailored to the realities on the ground.

Three objectives are at the heart of the Grand Défi:

• Deploy new agroecological practices: localised treatment, detailed monitoring, regular maintenance, soil preservation, etc.
• Maturing robotic technologies: through hackathons, challenges and collaborative experiments.
• Facilitating the adoption of these innovations by farmers and encouraging their acceptance by society through awareness-raising and dialogue.

In this context, a new project is being launched: STAIRS, which will officially kick off on 21 May in Paris.

We are proud to be participating in this project through SHERPA Engineering.

The STAIRS project, a new step in agricultural transformation

The project is structured around three main actions:

• Defining and providing robotic solution designers with a suitable framework for developing and adopting standardised software and hardware components.
• Developing standards to ensure the interoperability and integration of robots into agricultural management systems and their supervision by humans.
• Designing methodologies and evaluation metrics to measure the effectiveness and impact of agricultural robots.

To carry out these tasks, a large consortium of nearly 30 partners (coordinated by INRAE and Robagri) has been formed, bringing together researchers, engineers, manufacturers, higher education institutions and farmers. This diversity of profiles guarantees the soundness and relevance of the actions carried out throughout the project.

The aim of the project is to provide agricultural robotics stakeholders with a common platform, bringing together:

• methodologies,
• standards,
• high-performance development tools,
• algorithm kits,
• simulation models,
• access to operational data.

SHERPA Engineering interviendra notamment sur :

Work Package 1 (WP1), dedicated to combining system engineering and life cycle analysis to assess the environmental impact of agricultural machinery, in conjunction with our O:AMIE tool already presented in our previous publications

Work Package 3 (WP3), focusing on the perception of the agricultural plot environment.

Excerpt from the brochure for the STAIRS project led by INRAE and RobAgri

The STAIRS project is fully in line with the ambitions of France 2030, laying another foundation stone for a more responsible, technologically advanced agriculture that respects social and environmental issues.

For SHERPA Engineering, it is an opportunity to put our expertise at the service of a more virtuous agricultural future.

IBIS (Intelligent Battery Integrated System) is a collaborative research project carried out in France, bringing together industrial and academic players, Stellantis, Saft (Total Energies Group), E2CAD, SHERPA Engineering, as well as several CNRS laboratories (GeePs, SATIE, LEPMI) and the Lafayette Institute. The project is financed by the Plan France 2030, led by ADEME.
The aim is to develop an intelligent lithium-ion battery that is more efficient, more compact and less costly, capable of meeting the growing needs of electromobility and stationary energy storage.

A breakthrough in battery architecture

The heart of the innovation lies in the direct integration of inverter, charger and converter functions into the battery itself. In concrete terms, these components are replaced by electronic conversion boards mounted as close as possible to the lithium-ion cells, and controlled by an advanced control system. This system enables alternating current to be generated directly to power an electric motor, without the need for external components.

This approach offers multiple benefits:

– Reduced manufacturing costs for electric vehicles
– Simplified powertrain architecture
– Increased vehicle space and habitability
– Improved reliability and range
– Easier preparation for a second life for stationary batteries

After six years of research, modeling and simulation, a team of 25 engineers and researchers has designed a working prototype of this new battery. A stationary demonstrator, operational since summer 2022, and a prototype vehicle have validated the system’s performance and laid the foundations for future industrialization.

Sherpa Engineering’s contribution

As part of the IBIS project, Sherpa Engineering mobilized its expertise in system modeling and control engineering to support the development and validation of this innovative technology.

Our teams contributed to

– Dynamic modeling of battery and electronic systems
– Development of the control system using Matlab/Simulink
– Functional validation via simulations, bench testing and prototype vehicle testing.

Our role: to guarantee functional consistency and optimize overall system performance, right through to integration in a real-life environment.

IBIS 2: on course for industrialization

Following on from the first project, IBIS 2 is designed to take the technology from TRL5 to TRL6, with the aim of demonstrating its viability under representative conditions, for both electric vehicles and stationary storage solutions.

The ambition is to bring this technology to market before the end of the decade, on vehicles of the various Stellantis brands and on safts solutions.

A double impact

Thanks to its unique architecture, IBIS represents a paradigm shift in the design of electric powertrains and energy storage systems. For Stellantis, it represents a concrete response to users’ expectations in terms of autonomy, on-board space, accessibility and reduced carbon footprint.
In the stationary sector, Saft plans to offer solutions incorporating IBIS technology, with installations that are more compact, more efficient and easier to maintain, particularly for the integration of renewable energies into electricity grids.
By pooling technologies between mobility and stationary applications, IBIS will enhance the competitiveness of both markets, taking advantage of volume effects and standardization.

In short, the IBIS project represents a significant breakthrough for batteries used in electric vehicles and stationary storage. Its major innovation, “the direct incorporation of energy conversion functions into the battery”, contributes to lowering costs, simplifying architecture and offering a host of new functionalities.

In this way, IBIS demonstrates how collaborative innovation can promote the ecological transition while consolidating Europe’s competitiveness and technological autonomy.

A strategic challenge for industry

0D/1D models are essential tools for the simulation of many systems. They offer an optimal combination of speed of execution and low computational load, enabling a simplified but efficient representation of physical phenomena. However, this efficiency can sometimes result in a loss of accuracy, posing a challenge in terms of reliability and predictability of results.

The main challenges of 0D/1D simulation

Accuracy and calibration: Their main challenge lies in the ability to represent physical phenomena with a sufficient degree of accuracy. Simplifying results can lead to approximations that require constant adjustment. This calibration relies on accurate experimental data, and if these are limited and uncertain, this presents a challenge. One of our strengths at SHERPA Engineering is our culture of understanding the physical systems we model.

Interoperability: Another challenge is model interoperability. In many cases, one model may be coupled to another produced in a different software package. To overcome this difficulty, we use FMU technology, which facilitates the standardization of exchanges between different software packages.

SHERPA Engineering’s expertise

SHERPA Engineering has been successfully meeting these challenges for almost 30 years. Our expertise covers fuel cells, electrical systems, energy and thermal management, and autonomous vehicles.

Our Managing Partner, Guillaume Bruniquel, recently shared our vision and innovations in 0D/1D simulation in a trade magazine. Discover his analysis and our outlook for tomorrow’s challenges.

Read the full article to find out more.

The Hyvolution Paris trade show is a major event in the hydrogen sector, bringing together the main international players in the field. It offers a unique platform for fostering exchanges, developing partnerships and transforming current challenges into future prospects.

We’re delighted to be back for our second appearance. Over three days, our team will be showcasing its expertise in energy engineering, its digital modelling solutions and the exciting projects we are developing.

3 good reasons to come and meet us :

– Discover our energy systems (or energy engineering) solutions
– Talk to our experts about the technical challenges facing the sector
– Take part in enriching discussions on the future of the energy transition.

We look forward to welcoming you to our stand to discuss our respective visions and perhaps, together, build responsible energy projects for current and future generations.

Keeping Santa Warm with Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Modeling even at -40°C! 🌬️

Santa may be a winter veteran, but even he appreciates a warm and cozy sleigh. That’s why SHERPA Engineering brought its HVAC expertise to the table, designing a thermal system to keep him comfortable, no matter how frosty it gets. By simulating various climates from the North Pole to the Sahara we ensure Santa stays comfortable throughout his journey.

We chose a heat pump specifically designed for polar conditions. It’s energy-efficient and keeps the sleigh toasty while recovering lost heat to stretch the energy supply even further. Comfort and efficiency ? A win-win for Santa.

But we didn’t stop there. We also worked our magic on the gift storage area, ensuring chocolates arrive intact and not looking like a fondue experiment gone wrong. With precision down to a single degree, we modeled a system that keeps the gifts cool, calm, and collected just like Santa himself.

Fuel Cells for a Green Christmas

To help Santa go green (and avoid ending up on the naughty polluter list), SHERPA Engineering equipped his sleigh with fuel cells for propulsion.

These cells generate electricity from hydrogen, producing no polluting emissionsjust water, perfect for watering Christmas trees along the way! They’re also whisper-quiet, ensuring gifts are delivered without waking curious children.

With 20 years of experience, we used ultra-precise simulation tools to design a system perfectly tailored to Santa’s needs. For example, we optimized the air compressor’s size, making the system lighter and more efficient. The result? A sleigh that can carry even more gifts (and some extra chocolates for Santa).

The entire SHERPA Engineering team wishes you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. May innovation and joy fill your holidays. And remember: if we can help Santa achieve peak efficiency, imagine what we can do for your projects!

We are pleased to share the results of innovative research into the eco-design of agricultural practices through a tool: O-AMIE (Outil d’Analyse et de Management des Impacts Environnementaux – Environmental Impact Analysis and Management Tool). Developed in response to the environmental challenges facing agriculture, this tool combines systems engineering and life cycle analysis (LCA) for sustainable, optimised management of farms.

🔍 What is O-AMIE used for?

– Design and validate agricultural systems such as tractors, robots and farming techniques.
– Calculate the environmental impact over the entire life cycle (from extraction to use).
– Enable users to quickly simulate multiple scenarios to optimise practices and reduce emissions.

💡 Why is it important?

Agriculture, while essential, poses significant environmental challenges, particularly in terms of resource use and emissions. By integrating sustainability from the design stage, O-AMIE enables engineers and practitioners to rethink agricultural equipment and practices. The tool facilitates collaboration between ACL experts and systems engineers to transition to greener, more sustainable agriculture.

This project represents a step forward towards more responsible agriculture, where environmental impact management tools are integrated directly into the design process.

For more details, read the full article published here.