CNH Industrial announced the purchase of the machine vision company Augmenta. Augmenta was a previous CNH Industrial Ventures investment and a strategic partner for CNH Industrial.

The acquisition will allow CNH Industrial to accelerate the growth of its Sense & Act technology, which gives machines selective spraying capabilities to precisely direct and regulate spray volume.

Augmenta’s variable rate application technology uses a real-time sensor to process field conditions and automatically apply nitrogen, plant growth regulator, harvest aid and fungicide applications based on the data it collects. It uses cameras and artificial intelligence to automatically control application rates based on factors like canopy health.

This increases yield, boosts sustainability by eliminating unnecessary chemical and fertilizer usage, and reduces application time, effort and input costs. Real-time cost savings are visible on the web-based analytics and monitoring platform.

Raven integration

Augmenta will operate within the Raven brand as a subset of the precision technology portfolio. Existing Augmenta technologies plan to be commercially available and offered through Raven aftermarket channels. Raven will develop and fully integrate Augmenta’s products into its broader portfolio over the next few years.

Raven’s Hawkeye 2 nozzle control system is already a preferred integration partner for many Sense & Act providers. Integrating Augmenta’s technology will allow Raven customers to unlock Sense & Act functionalities with simple plug-and-play hardware and interfaces.

“Augmenta’s unique AI and vision-based perception technologies add a new, distinct value and scalability to Raven’s industry-leading technologies,” notes John Preheim, Raven vice president of product development. “We look forward to adding innovative Sense & Act capabilities to our products, further driving profitability for our customers.”