Our team is currently working on a robot that will enable the efficient recording of videos and the direct generation of precise 3D models of vines – a project that is currently in the development process. Internally referred to as "Blue Flash," this very first prototype owes its name to a pragmatic solution: a blue truck tarpaulin is used to control the interior light and improve the contrast of the images. Since the color blue hardly occurs in nature, this simple but effective shielding currently creates the necessary conditions for clean data collection in the field. The tarpaulin shielding allows for easy and inexpensive adjustments to change the enclosure itself and the position of the cameras with the aim of optimizing them.

In January 2026, the “Blue Lightning” completed its first test run. Its appearance clearly shows that it is a “work in progress,” but valuable data and interim results have already been collected, which will now serve as the basis for further designs and training our AI. Thus, the mission was a complete success. However, this first prototype is only the beginning: over the course of the year, the prototype will be gradually further developed. In the next prototype, the tarpaulin will be replaced by a fixed enclosure that meets all operational and occupational safety requirements for the use of lasers, and will be supplemented by an integrated laser cutting unit to take the system from pure data collection to active processing in the vineyard.