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The Hiphen Phenomobile is a robust, multi-sensor ground platform delivering high-resolution, tree-level phenotyping in field conditions—ideal for cocoa.
About
Traditional field phenotyping methods are slow, subjective, and often fail to capture fine-scale variation in traits under real-world farm conditions. While drones provide fast overhead imaging, they can miss details at the plant level—especially under canopy or in tall, heterogeneous crops like cocoa.
The Hiphen Phenomobile is a rugged, ground-based phenotyping vehicle, uniquely designed to operate in complex and uneven field environments, including plantations and orchards. It combines high-resolution RGB, multispectral, thermal, and LiDAR sensors with precise GPS systems to capture multi-angle data from close range, enabling high-detail, plant-level trait measurement—even in shaded or partially occluded areas.
Unlike custom research rigs, the Phenomobile is modular, transportable, and technician-friendly, offering scalable field data acquisition with minimal infrastructure. When used with Hiphen’s CloverfieldTM platform, it creates a seamless end-to-end phenotyping workflow, from image capture to spreadsheet-ready trait data.
This makes it ideal for perennial crops where traits such as pod count, branch architecture, trunk health, or localized disease symptoms must be measured precisely and consistently.
Key Benefits
1. PhenoMobile captures close-range, high-resolution imaging for detailed trait analysis like pod count, leaf disease, and branching that drones often miss.
2. Multi-sensor integration (RGB, multispectral, thermal, LiDAR) allows comprehensive trait assessment in a single pass.
3. Operates under canopy, making it ideal for cocoa farms where drone flights may be limited.
4. Accurate, individual tree-level data supports precise phenotyping and selection in breeding trials.
5. Fully integrated with Hiphen’s CloverfieldTM software, enabling end-to-end data processing and output in spreadsheet format.
Applications
The Phenomobile targets research and production settings where ground-based, high-resolution imaging is essential, including:
- Cocoa, coffee, and perennial crop R&D programs requiring detailed, multi-angle imaging that drones can’t easily provide.
- Private-sector breeders and agronomic field trial operators needing reproducible, close-range data over heterogeneous terrain.
- Public research institutes or development agencies working on crop improvement and climate resilience in tree crops or plantation systems.
- Plant health and pathology teams that require detection of early-stage symptoms or structural deformations at sub-centimeter scale.
- Organizations operating in drone-restricted zones, or where frequent cloudy/rainy conditions limit drone use.
Its ability to deliver precision data in environments where aerial imaging is insufficient makes the Phenomobile a strategic asset for high-value, complex crops like cocoa—particularly in the early stages of research trials or disease mapping initiatives.