Steering wheel and joystick in hand, virtual reality helmet on his head, student, immersed in a realistic 3D environment, directs the harvester inside a piece of vineyard. Incline, pitch, elevation, he learns to drive a machine and acquires technical gestures. For road safety, a road exercise is also proposed, by means of artificial intelligence. E-cab It is a virtual reality training simulator for driving agricultural machinery for schools, tertiary centers and businesses. This innovation has been rewarded twice: a gold medal SITEVI Innovation Awards 2021 At the International Exhibition of Equipment and Knowledge for Grape Wine Production and Cup Innovative Solutions for the Digital Transformation of Agro-forestry Actors from the Forum of Excellence Sectors and Regional Ecosystems.
The electronic booth is supported by a new Aquitaine consortium: the school AgriCapDriving Pedagogy designed, grape harvester manufacturer Grégoire, consulting company Shinypix And the studio nix To develop and publish software. It is supported by the District Nouvelle-Aquitaine, the Inno’vin Group, the Gironde Prefecture of Road Safety, Crédit Agricole Assurances and Charente-Perigord Fund.
Prevent dangerous scenarios
Grégoire, builder, and developer Studio Nyx are clients of the regional bank. Natalie Vallet, Head of the Cognac Sector, is excited about this innovation. “The Cognac vineyard, which represents 90,000 hectares, is organized in such a way that it can be mechanically harvested. The machines are used intensively for three weeks a year. So it is important to know how to use it correctly and safely. This training can be an additional service that we can provide to 80% of our customers who have this service.
Keen to prevent business risks, Credit Agricole GuaranteesVia Pacifica and Caisse Charente-Périgord support E-Cab in its development and design of new educational scenarios. Romain Soulié, Director of Studio Nyx explains: “It is an open, cutting-edge project. The aim is to integrate other types of machinery and brands (tractors, walkways, trailers, sprayers, cutters, tillers) as well as new drills.” Initially, the simulator will be distributed to agricultural high schools, family and country houses. At the same time, Studio Nyx is developing educational capsules for document holders: a complementary model, less complete, but faster and at home.
Attract young people
In addition to its educational function, the system attracts young people during trade fairs and increases the attractiveness of the profession. “Many young women discover the profession of a tractor driver thanks to the simulator, in a very non-female sector,” Roman Soleil testifies. By combining training and attraction, digital tools have a bright future. Studio Nyx also carries Vinum within its range Engineering and Technology Foundation for Digital Universitywhich relates to the entire agricultural, grape-growing and forestry sector.
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