
LaVi
fully automated
laser vine pruning
Laser:viticulture - LaVi for short - is setting new standards in viticulture and responding to the urgent shortage of skilled workers with innovative technology. Building on the findings of the 'KI-Rebschnitt' project - which demonstrated the feasibility of intelligent pruning recommendations - a robot is now being developed to manage vines fully autonomously using AI and laser technology.
This precise automation not only takes care of pruning, but also optimizes other work processes. The result: increased efficiency, lower costs, and a future-proof viticulture industry that remains independent of labor shortages.

Current News

In premium viticulture, grape clusters are split during the summer to ensure that the individual berries develop optimally. This improves light penetration and air circulation within the cluster while also serving as a measure to reduce yield and enhance grape quality. As part of LaVi, vineyards are currently being recorded at the stage when the clusters have reached the ideal size for splitting, with the berries being approximately pea-sized. The collected image data is used to train the computer vision system, and starting next year, the cluster splitting process is planned to be carried out automatically using a laser.
Project Timeline
05.2026 Challenges and Error Sources in Time-of-Flight Depth Measurement
03.2026 First deployments of the ‘Blauer Blitz’ prototype
from 10.2025 Development of hardware basis for the first prototype
06.2025 - 11.2025 Development of the laser cutting system
03.2025 - 05.2025 Image capture of shoots to be removed
11.2024 - 02.2025 Collection of image material for training the AI
01.11.2024 Project start: early start of measures