THE Cooperative Research Centre for High Performance Soils (Soil CRC) has appointed Australian company Sentek Sensor Technologies as the commercialisation partner for its BILBY wireless communications node.
A self-contained telemetry device, the BILBY node can be installed entirely below-ground and transmit data from soil moisture sensors to an above-ground receiver. The wire-free technology eliminates the need for surface wires and solar panels, preventing potential damage by stock, machinery or pests.
Soil CRC chief executive officer, Dr Michael Crawford, said the Soil CRC's collaboration with Sentek provides an excellent example of researchers and industry working together to find a novel solution to an existing challenge.
"I look forward to Sentek's market deployment of the BILBY wireless node and to seeing this important technology in use on Australian farms, where it will have a positive impact on farm and land management," he said.
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"I am also very excited that within the lifetime of the Soil CRC, we have taken a technology from an idea, through the various research and development stages, and converted it into something that can now be manufactured and made available to Australian growers by a commercial company."
Sentek, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this year, designs, develops, manufactures, supports and globally distributes technologies for measuring and managing soil moisture, salinity and temperature.
Sentek managing director, Nick Ktoris, said Sentek is pleased to have worked closely with the Soil CRC research team to progress the development of the BILBY wireless communication node and are honoured to now take it through to manufacture and delivery to market.
"Like the Soil CRC, we are keen to see this innovative device in the hands of Australian farmers so that they can access soil data insights from the actual production zone to better inform their on-farm decision making," he said.
"We will commence manufacturing the device shortly and anticipate market launch will take place in the second half of 2026."
TASSY-LED DEVELOPMENT
Simon Edwards and Associate Professor Marcus Hardie from the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, at the University of Tasmania, led the development of the BILBY wireless node on behalf of the Soil CRC. Edwards said he is excited to see its manufacture and distribution entrusted to Sentek.
"Research into the BILBY wireless node has been supported by the Soil CRC since 2018, in an effort to find a workable solution to a key industry challenge – how to locate sensors in the production zone, where we need them, while mitigating damage to telemetry equipment," he said.
"What we ended up with is a device that can be fully buried while transmitting data wirelessly over distances up to 1 km."
The system's design means sensors can be placed exactly where needed, even in the middle of cropping or grazing zones, without disrupting machinery or animals.
"Sentek came onboard in 2023 to help us further test the BILBY wireless node in the field using Sentek's soil moisture sensors," Edwards said.
"The device was installed under grazing pasture and at two commercial irrigated vegetable sites to test its performance at different depths and across multiple gateways," he explained.
"Through these trials, the project team was able to identify design modifications to optimise performance under different conditions."
For more details, visit: https://soilcrc.com.au
