A successful demo is not a reliable product

In a working farm, you’ll encounter different crops, varying terrain, unpredictable weather and differing skills of human operators. These factors interact in unpredictable ways, meaning a vision system that performs perfectly in morning sunlight can easily fail when dust hits the sensors during an afternoon harvest.

The engineering challenge is not just to make robots smarter, but to make them predictable, resilient and manageable beyond controlled environments. Teams may find themselves running endless edge case tests, expanding validation programs, redesigning sensors and perception systems, investigating field issues that are difficult to reproduce, and struggling to determine when the machine is truly ready for deployment.

Smarter shouldn’t mean more work

The promise of agricultural robotics is simple: take work off the farmer’s hands. But when a machine is not ready for the conditions it encounters, that promise can quickly be reversed.

A robot that needs frequent supervision, manual intervention or troubleshooting may be autonomous on paper, but still creates work in practice. Farmers may have to monitor its performance, step in when it gets stuck, correct errors, manage exceptions or adapt their workflow around the machine. The technology should adapt to the realities of the farm, not require the farmer to constantly adapt to the technology.

Strategic principles for engineering reliability

Making agricultural robotics reliable is not about eliminating every unexpected scenario. Once deployed in the field, that is simply impossible. It is about building systems and processes that can identify uncertainty, learn from it and respond safely:

1. Turn edge cases into a structured learning process

Edge cases aren’t isolated failures, they are valuable signals about where a system still lacks robustness. But R&D teams shouldn’t have to wait for every failure to happen before they can learn from it.

Synthetic user personas allow development teams to anticipate how operators, especially those less tech-savvy or working under high-stress field conditions, interact with new machinery interfaces. By modeling these human-machine interaction risks alongside synthetic environmental edge cases, teams can refine user workflows and system prompts well before field testing.

Want to explore this approach further? Our webinar on accelerating product development dives deeper into how AI, synthetic users and LLMs can help teams accelerate innovation while reducing risk.

2. Design for safe failure and continuous validation

No autonomous system will perform perfectly in every situation. The question is what happens when it encounters something it does not understand.

Robust agricultural robots need clear fallback behaviors, safe failure modes and mechanisms for handling uncertainty. But these cannot be designed and tested once and then considered done. Simulation, laboratory testing and field operation should form a continuous feedback loop, where every new scenario helps refine requirements, improve the system and strengthen the next round of validation.

The result is a machine that learns from every testing cycle, making it more resilient to the conditions it will face in the real world.

3. Deploy autonomy incrementally

By automating specific tasks or operating within defined conditions first, teams can build confidence, gather real-world data and expand the system’s capabilities step by step. This also makes it easier to identify where autonomy delivers real value and where human oversight is still needed. 

Aiming for unassisted autonomy from day one rarely works in unpredictable field conditions. This safety-first reality was highlighted during the Vision + Robotics event, where an autonomous harvester was demonstrated with a human supervisor seated inside, specifically to manage safety risks during operation. Taking an incremental approach allows engineering teams to satisfy strict safety requirements, validate perception edge cases in real conditions, and build proven reliability before removing human oversight entirely.

4. Build the infrastructure to support learning in the field

Reliable autonomy depends not only on the robot itself, but also on the infrastructure around it. Virtual training environments can help greenhouse robots learn from a wider range of scenarios before deployment. Live vision can support harvesting robots in adapting to changing conditions. And strong remote service capabilities can help teams monitor, diagnose and improve machines once they are in the field.

This approach becomes even more powerful when machines are connected. Instead of farmers managing each device individually, linked devices can share data, coordinate tasks and work together as part of a wider ecosystem.

But building reliable connected systems needs a digital backbone that can keep up. Learn how to build one that is reliable, scalable and maintainable through our webinar.

From smart to trusted

Farmers don’t buy “smart” robots, they buy robust and durable machines that get the job done day in and day out. Achieving that level of trust demands more than clever algorithms. It requires a disciplined product development process that respects field conditions, manages risk methodically, and prioritizes long-term performance over a short-term spectacle.

If you’re ready to bridge the gap between initial innovation and field-ready reliability, let’s connect. Together, we can refine your product roadmap, manage engineering risk, and build trusted solutions that lead tomorrow’s agricultural market.

The post Robustness over intelligence: Making agricultural robotics reliable in the real world appeared first on Verhaert Masters in Innovation.

The post Robustness over intelligence: Making agricultural robotics reliable in the real world appeared first on Verhaert Masters in Innovation.

Zehnder is widely recognized in the market for Swiss quality and precision; and not by coincidence. The Ventilation business unit is the company’s growth engine and invests consistently in technology development. “We cannot and do not want to compete on price,” says Denis van Bezu, Director Group Product Management Ventilation. “Our strategy is to develop best-in-class products that lead technologically and meet increasingly stringent market and regulatory requirements.”

Innovation as a structured process

Within Zehnder, international R&D teams work on a broad portfolio, ranging from balanced ventilation to systems that not only refresh air but also cool, heat and condition it. “We deliberately separate innovation from day-to-day product development,” Van Bezu explains. “In addition to a product roadmap, we work with a technology roadmap that explores future technological building blocks. New technologies are first investigated in small technology innovation projects before finding their way into concrete products.”

From agile chaos to predictable progress

When Van Bezu joined Zehnder, product development followed Agile Scrum principles. “That can work well for software, but for complex physical products it proved to be a recipe for delays and misalignment,” he says. Projects ran over schedule, and outcomes did not sufficiently align with the original objectives.

BEACON (part of Verhaert Nederland) supported Zehnder in redesigning and re-implementing its Stage-Gate process and provided experienced project managers who brought structure, transparency, and momentum. This approach not only laid the foundation for successful projects but also enabled Zehnder to build its own international project management organization.

How the BEACON-Verhaert approach secures Zehnder’s innovation path

In a later phase, the strength of the BEACON and Verhaert combination became particularly evident. Zehnder requested an independent analysis of an existing product that was not meeting commercial expectations. While BEACON ensured structured project management, clear scope, and well-defined deliverables, Verhaert contributed deep technical expertise across electronics, mechanics, and system architecture.

The result was a thorough, multidisciplinary analysis with well-founded recommendations. “We didn’t get any ‘low-hanging fruit,’ which I may have secretly hoped for,” Van Bezu reflects. “But it did deliver strategic insights that confirmed we are already making the right technological choices at Zehnder. Validation from an expert partner with experience across multiple industries is incredibly valuable. It shows that our decisions are sound and highlights where future opportunities lie, for example, in the further development of a new electronics platform. I expect we will evaluate our designs this way more often in the future together with Verhaert.”

One point of contact, maximum impact

A key advantage for Zehnder was the BEACON project manager’s bridging role. This provided a single point of contact, clear deliverables, speed, and, at the same time, access to a broad team of Verhaert specialists. As a result, the collaboration remained transparent and effective, even in an international setting with numerous stakeholders involved.

Future-proof innovation

Zehnder operates in a market undergoing rapid change. European sustainability ambitions, evolving indoor climate requirements, and the growing demand for energy-efficient cooling make innovation more urgent than ever. The ambition is clear: to solidify their position as an industry leader, with products that customers, installers and architects genuinely enjoy working with.

The collaboration with Verhaert Nederland aligns seamlessly with that ambition. By working with a partner in a supportive role, helping Zehnder can organize, validate and accelerate innovation more effectively. While BEACON provides control, structure, and clarity in decision-making, Verhaert delivers technical depth and an innovative, cross-sector perspective.

For Zehnder and any forward-thinking organization, this partnership provides the strategic foundation to turn complex challenges into long-term market leadership. It is a proven model in which structured management meets deep technical insight, ensuring innovation isn’t just a goal but a sustained competitive advantage.

The post How Zehnder and Verhaert Nederland drive structural innovation appeared first on Verhaert Masters in Innovation.

The post How Zehnder and Verhaert Nederland drive structural innovation appeared first on Verhaert Masters in Innovation.