From pilots to practice starts with different questions
The NVTL Annual Conference at RoboHouse made one shift clearly visible. Robotics and AI are moving from pilots to applications that need to perform reliably during the season. That shift changes the questions for organisations in arable farming, livestock and horticulture. It is no longer about whether a solution works technically, but about when to adopt, who to partner with and how to embed it in your own operations. The real value of the day was in sharpening exactly those conditions that need to be in place to move from experimentation to real-world application.
Mainstream demands reliability, service and integration
Across multiple sessions, the same pattern emerged. A robot may perform well technically, but still fall short if maintenance, service agreements, safety and ease of use are not designed alongside it. Maturity is less about an impressive demo and more about consistent performance in-season, combined with seamless integration into data and logistics.
Scaling only works when decisions are organised collectively
Anyone looking to scale quickly runs into dependencies between hardware, software, data, operational processes and regulations. That makes collaboration less optional, as clear agreements are needed on interfaces, responsibilities and ownership. As a result, development increasingly takes place across sectors, since the same implementation challenges appear everywhere.
The biggest risks are not in the robot, but in everything around it
The hesitation is understandable. Moving too early increases the risk of downtime and added organisational complexity, while moving too late may mean missing out on experience and positioning once the market matures. Practical experience proves most valuable here, as it reveals where friction occurs when moving from pilot to daily operations. Think of design choices, service concepts and dealing with uncertainty in an emerging market.
NXTGEN Hightech Agrifood fits this phase by accelerating the conditions for adoption
Within NXTGEN Hightech Agrifood, companies and knowledge institutions collaborate on autonomous and data-driven systems, with a strong focus on conditions such as integration, service and real-world application across the value chain.
The contribution of Jente Klein Holkenborg positioned NXTGEN as part of the broader movement highlighted throughout the day, accelerating progress by making collaboration more structured and actionable, so applications can move beyond the pilot phase faster. The overarching theme of the day was clear. The next step is less about a single robot and more about making the right choices in collaboration, standards and operational setup.