Francesca Protano

With more than 18 years of international experience, Francesca has held various roles in R&D, finance, marketing and corporate development (M&A, business development and strategy). Most recently, she was ventures managing director at CNH. She started her career at the Fiat Research Center. After graduating in computer science, she obtained master's degrees in mechatronics and innovation and technology management (Alma Graduate School, Bologna Business School International). Always passionate about technology, she now holds the position of head of technology strategy and product innovation at CNH.

---

Presentation

Revolutionizing agriculture through robotics and AI

The technological push is becoming increasingly stronger with faster innovation cycles. Technology in agriculture is taking off rapidly: the current trend sees farmers using consumer technologies every day. Agricultural machines are becoming more efficient to boost farmers' productivity. Robotics and artificial intelligence allow for optimized land use, streamlining treatments and reducing the use of herbicides. Thanks to advanced 'Sense & Act' technology, which evaluates field conditions and adjusts the machine based on the detected parameters, the new sprayer, a result of the acquisition of Augmenta, is able to distinguish the soil (brown) from the growing plants (green), automatically spraying.