The FRE, which is organized by the University of Hohenheim, is an annual competition where international teams of students compete with their robots to establish which can achieve the best results in the test field, where conditions will correspond to those that would be found in real-life farming situations.

The competition, which was launched in 2003 by Wageningen University, in the Netherlands, tests pioneering robotics and precision farming technologies under real-world conditions, and gives the young scientists the opportunity to exchange and develop their ideas alongside their peers. Competitors also get the opportunity to interact with international visitors at the event, which will help them advance their concepts in this promising technology.

The event, which was held at the DLG-Feldtage for the first time in 2014, and again in 2016, promises to provide a demanding practical test for the robots and their inventors, as well as exciting entertainment for spectators. About 20 teams from 10 countries are expected to take part this year, and each will compete in four different tasks with the robots judged on: Basic navigation; Advanced navigation; Selective sensing; and Soil-engaged weeding. An optional Freestyle challenge, which will be judged separately from the main competition, will allow the teams to showcase a particular aspect of their robot's abilities.

Field robot demonstrations will also take place

In addition to the competitions, visitors to this year's DLG-Feldtage will get the opportunity to see live demonstrations of the competing robots that will take place each day of the DLG-Feldtage 2018. Professional prototypes of field robots that are already operational will also be on display at the event.

15 Teams will take part:

- Harper Adams University, Newport, UK
- Chapingo Autonomous University, Texcoco, Mexico
- University of Maribor, Maribor, Slowenia
- Telematic Autonomous Field Robot TAFR, Ljubljana, Slowenia
- Politehnica University, Timisoara, Romania
- Aalto University , Espoo, Finland
- Technical University of Denmark , DTU, Lyngby, Denmark
- Wageningen Univertity , Wageningen, Netherlands
- Egyptian Robotics Academy, Beheira, Egypt
- Universität Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
- Hochschule Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
- TU Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
- Schülerforschungszentrum Überlingen, Überlingen, Germany
- Hochschule Heilbronn, Heilbronn, Germany
- Kamaro Engineering e.V. am KIT (Karlsruher Institut für Technologie) , Karlsruhe, Germany
 
Spectators are welcome at the FRE at all times. They can watch the teams putting together and testing their robots, and gather information in the competition tent with the help of posters explaining the various projects. Visitors will also be able to engage in discussions with experts during the daily Field Robot Talks forum, where robot specialists from the different colleges and universities will discuss the latest developments in this fascinating topic – not only technical issues, but how the use of technology can benefit sustainability in the agricultural sector.

More information on the 2018 FRE can be found at: www.fieldrobot.com
Details about this year's DLG-Feldtage is available online at: www.dlg-feldtage.de