When: 26 November 2025 from 14:00 to 17:00 (CET)

Where: Online

During the workshop, the technical features of the system, its tangible benefits for agricultural operators, and the innovations introduced by the project will be presented.

The event will foster open dialogue between consortium partners and end-users, with the goal of collecting valuable feedback to refine technology development and encourage widespread adoption.

Title: QD-Based SWIR Imaging – Applications and Market

QD-based SWIR imagers open up a lot of new applications and markets that were previously not possible due to prohibitive cost of such imagers.  We will present the current state of QD-based imager technology, review the applications it enables and discuss the markets that it can enter. 

Title: Quantum Dot–Enabled SWIR Cameras: Unlocking New Horizons in Imaging – From High Cost to High Impact: Making SWIR Affordable and Scalable

Short-wave infrared (SWIR) imaging has long been recognized for its unique ability to reveal material properties invisible to the human eye, with applications spanning agriculture, food quality control, recycling, industrial automation, and environmental monitoring. Until now, widespread adoption has been limited by the high cost and complexity of traditional SWIR sensor technologies.
This presentation introduces a new generation of H-Tech SWIR cameras powered by quantum dot (QD) technology, designed to overcome these barriers. By combining scalable quantum dot detectors with advanced optics and electronics, this solution delivers cost-efficient, robust, and tunable imaging performance. Early system prototypes demonstrate strong potential for real-world use, highlighting how QD-based SWIR can transition from research labs into mainstream commercial and industrial applications.

Title: Optical Filter Design for SWIR Imaging: From Concept to Application

Narrow band optical filters are a key component for several sensing applications, such as (gas) absorption spectroscopy and hyper spectral imaging. ENAS and TUC together with partners have a long history and experience in design and fabrication of such filters based on out-of-plane transmission and interference exploiting the Fabry-Perot configuration. In this webinar we will focus on NIR (0.8….2 µm) filters design and fabrication and an application scenario for SWIR imaging. 

Title: Quantum dots for SWIR detection: synthesis and properties

Near- and short-wave infrared (NIR/SWIR) active quantum dots (QDs) have attracted considerable interest for applications in optoelectronics. Most research has been conducted on binary lead- and mercury-based QDs due to the comparable simplicity of their synthesis and their outstanding properties. RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment)-compliant III-V QDs such as InAs and InSb are currently emerging, but their more covalent character, high oxidation sensitivity and scarcity of appropriate group-V precursors make it much more challenging to achieve precise control of their size, shape and surface state. This presentation will make an overview of the state of the art and properties of the different QD materials families in view of their integration into low-cost, high-performance SWIR photodetectors and image sensors.

Title: Automatic, spectral analysis-based monitoring of orchards – a new tool to support more sustainable horticulture production

Monitoring crop health status is the basis of Integrated Pest Management and a proper decision by farmers to take appropriate actions to protect plants against diseases and pests, including fire blight. Based on current agriculture practices, the monitoring is not carried out often enough or on the entire crop area due to the time-consuming nature of this activity and the lack of staff with appropriate knowledge. This need creates a space for the new solutions belonging to the precision agriculture field. In the frame of the HortiQD project, the development of an affordable machine vision system based on a camera with a new SWIR detector for automatic monitoring of apple orchards for diseases and pest occurrence is undergoing. The application of the detection in SWIR range gives opportunity of detection of apple diseases and pests on early stage of development. 

Title: Bridging Robotics and Spectral Sensing: Empowering Crop Health Monitoring with Autonomous Field Operations on TREKTOR

What if a robot could help farmers detect plant health issues before they become visible to the human eye? TREKTOR, our autonomous agricultural robot, is designed to deliver cutting-edge sensing capabilities directly to the field.  

In the context of increasingly data-driven and sustainable agriculture, the convergence of autonomous robotics and advanced sensing technologies is transforming how we monitor and manage crop health. This presentation introduces TREKTOR as part of the HortiQD project, highlighting its role as a mobile platform that bridges high-precision hyperspectral imaging and cloud-based analytical tools.  

Participants will gain insight into how the synergy between robotics and spectral sensing is driving innovation in European agriculture. TREKTOR is not only a sensor carrier but also a catalyst for scalable, technology-driven, and sustainable farming practices aligned with the goals of the European Green Deal and Farm to Fork strategies. 

Title: Data Platform for Smart Farming: increasing value of sensors’ data through correlation

Smart Farming and digitalization of the agricultural sector involve collecting data from multiple sensors. A large amount of information needs to be analyzed and presented to the users maximizing its value and making possible to build more accurate models for biological phenomena. DCCS (Data Collection and Correlation System) system, developed in HortiQD project, shows how geo-referentiation and correlation with historical data sources can put sensors’ data into a new context, making farmers and scientists able to discover hidden links and relationships between different ambient parameters.