Knowing the underground condition is a part of work in many industries, including agriculture, sports, and more. At present, measuring environmental data depends on wired technology, which at times is inefficient and requires labour-intensive manual sampling.
In this case, Soil Scout, a Finnish IoT sensor startup, sends data signals out of the ground wirelessly, from much more in-depth than previously possible. Notably, this was initially developed with farming & agriculture in mind.
Secured late-seed funding!
In a recent development, Soil Scout has raised significant late-seed funding round led by Husqvarna Group. The company intends to use this funding to scale production in an attempt to help more farmers, sports venues, and managers of green spaces around the world to manage their water resources better.
Jalmari Talola, Soil Scout’s CEO, said:
We are extremely excited about the recognition from Husqvarna as they have over a century’s worth of experience in the field and understand the need for water management. This funding is essential for us as it allows us to improve our collaboration with new and existing partners and customers, as well as extend our product portfolio.
Husqvarna Group is a leading global producer of outdoor power products and innovative solutions for forest, park, and garden care.
Björn Axling, Vice President, Accelerated Innovation & Venturing at Husqvarna Group, said:
We were particularly impressed with Soil Scout’s track record, with high-profile sports grounds like Wembley Stadium and Citizens Bank Park (home to the Philadelphia Phillies) already utilizing the system.
‘Scout’ sensor!
Soil Scout’s sensor is capable of transmitting moisture, temperature, and salinity data in near real-time from up to 2 meters below the surface, for up to 20 years, maintenance-free. Interestingly, it massively optimises water and energy usage by providing permanent buried wireless monitoring.
Helps reduce irrigation water and energy use by up to 50%
Johannes Tiusanen, a 19th generation farmer, a doctor in agrotechnology, and inventor of the Soil Scout solution built the system to give farmers the data they need to become precision agriculture specialists, both conserving water resources and increasing yields on their land over the long-term.
Moreover, these sensors allow both farmers and turf professionals alike to gain a detailed picture of their soil quality while leaving topsoil, pitches, and greens undisturbed. The Finnish startup works with various companies, including farmers and agricultural producers around the world, golf courses like Desert Mountain Arizona, and arenas like Wembley Stadium.
Tiusanen added:
Quite contradictory to what people think, precipitation is inadequate, even here in Finland: we have plenty of water, but agronomically in the wrong place. When it comes to agriculture, topography, draining, and soil composition can lead to different parts of the same field, having a substantially different yield potential. At Soil Scout, we have built a future-proof below-ground monitoring solution that can stay in operation and in-situ for decades.
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