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On 26 February 2026, the Horizon Europe project Smart Droplets marked a major milestone by opening its orchard pilot site in Catalonia to farmers, machinery operators, and agri-food stakeholders, demonstrating how a standard tractor can be transformed into a fully autonomous, intelligent spraying system.Hosted by Eurecat – Technology Centre in collaboration with SERRATER SL, the Open Day brought together approximately 25 participants, including local farmers, orchard machinery operators, cluster representatives, and agricultural sales professionals. The event offered stakeholders an exclusive, first-hand look at the project’s final integrated solution, now demonstrated in full operational conditions.
The day began with a comprehensive presentation of the Smart Droplets project, outlining its objectives, technological architecture, and achievements. Participants engaged in a dynamic Q&A session, focusing on the practical implications of autonomous agricultural machinery and the near- and mid-term prospects for adoption in commercial farming.
The strong engagement from attendees reflected growing interest in autonomous solutions that can deliver both environmental and operational benefits to European agriculture.
Smart Droplets addresses a central challenge in European agriculture: how to reduce pesticide and fertiliser use in line with Green Deal objectives while maintaining productivity and economic viability. By combining robotics, AI models, and real-time field data, the project aims to demonstrate that environmental performance and operational efficiency can advance together.
Following the technical session, attendees moved to the orchard to witness the system operating under real conditions. The retrofitted tractor navigated autonomously and executed spraying tasks without direct human intervention, confirming the system’s readiness for real-world deployment.
The demonstration highlighted one of the project’s most tangible innovations: converting conventional tractors, the same type used daily by growers, into autonomous platforms capable of precision operations.
Several participants expressed particular interest in the retrofit approach, noting its compatibility with existing farm equipment and workflows. The ability to enhance current machinery, rather than replace it entirely, was widely recognised as a decisive factor for accelerating real-world adoption.
Smart Droplets’ Open Day reinforced the project’s core message: precision agriculture is not only about advanced algorithms or robotics, but about integrating technologies into practical, farmer-oriented solutions.
As the project approaches its conclusion (September 2022 – February 2026), field demonstrations such as this Open Day mark a decisive step in translating research results into operational agricultural practice and market-ready innovation, reinforcing Smart Droplets’ contribution to the future of sustainable European farming.
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