Fieldbot has pioneered a new active storm-protection system.
Fieldbot is developing a fourth core UltraFast™ machine application: autonomous storm protection, a new capability that transforms an UltraCore™-upgraded irrigation pivot into an active storm-protection system.
By integrating large-scale, real-time weather datasets—including radar, severe-weather alerts, forecast wind speed and direction, and localized storm tracking—with the UltraCore™-upgraded irrigation pivot’s position, heading, and UltraFast™ Constant Move capabilities, the system could anticipate approaching high-wind events and autonomously reposition the machine directly into prevailing straight-line winds.
Rather than leaving a conventional irrigation pivot stationary and exposed in an arbitrary position, an UltraFast™ Constant Move irrigation pivot capable of completing a full revolution in approximately 90 minutes could rotate up to 90 degrees in as little as 22.5 minutes—rather than hours—rapidly repositioning the machine into a more favorable orientation before the strongest winds arrive.
Moreover, if the UltraCore™-upgraded irrigation pivot were shut down when a severe-weather threat was detected, the system could remotely start the machine, determine the optimal storm position, and autonomously move the irrigation pivot there—without requiring the farmer to travel to the field during dangerous weather.
Once positioned, the system could also activate the irrigation water, filling the pipe spans and applying water through the sprinklers to add operating weight and potentially increase the machine’s resistance to wind-induced movement or overturning.
The result would be a new form of predictive physical risk mitigation in which weather intelligence does not simply warn the farmer that a storm is approaching—it enables the machine to physically act before the storm arrives.
This capability could ultimately create an entirely new relationship between irrigation pivot technology and agricultural insurance.
Because UltraCore™-upgraded irrigation pivots could automatically document incoming weather conditions, machine position, repositioning time, water status, and protective actions taken before a storm, insurers could quantify the technology’s effect on loss frequency and severity across a large, mixed-fleet installed base.
If claims data demonstrate a statistically meaningful reduction in catastrophic wind losses, insurers could recognize upgraded irrigation pivots as lower-risk insured assets and offer reduced storm-damage premiums or other underwriting incentives—turning autonomous storm protection from an equipment feature into a measurable risk-management product for farmers and insurers alike.
Over time, storm-damage insurance could potentially be integrated directly into the Solutions-as-a-Service offering, combining autonomous storm protection, continuous risk monitoring, and insurance coverage within a single recurring customer solution.
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