CSRD and carbon reporting: does AS-B provide an argument on scope 3?

Yes. By extending autonomous robot lifetime and reducing replacement frequency of critical components, AS-B reduces carbon footprint reported annually under scope 3.

Autonomous agricultural robot in open field

Electronics & IoT Application

Outdoor & agricultural robotics humidity protection IP65+

Q: Is AS-B already used in production on autonomous agricultural robots?

Yes — active validation program with a Swiss reference manufacturer for plant-by-plant precision weeding operating in open fields with full solar autonomy and embedded AI vision. Program extended to other European and international actors of the outdoor robotics segment.

Q: Does AS-B impact my robot's battery autonomy?

No. AS-B is fully passive (zero electrical consumption). On a solar or battery-powered robot, the energy budget is preserved vs heating system that would consume 10-30 W permanent and reduce autonomy by 1-2 hours in winter.

Q: Compatibility with SIL2/SIL3 safety LIDAR sensors mounted on outdoor AGV/AMR?

Yes without interaction. AS-B is a passive consumable. Bonus: by eliminating internal condensation on safety LIDAR optical protection window, AS-B reduces nuisance triggering frequency of emergency stops.

Q: Performance in tropical humid climate?

Use case where AS-B delivers most value. AS-B maintains internal RH below 60% independently of external RH (up to 95% in tropical climate). Relevant for SE Asia, Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa.

An autonomous agricultural robot that must treat a parcel at 5am in morning dew, with 15-25°C thermal swings in a few hours, must keep its AI vision cameras, safety LIDAR, GNSS RTK and embedded compute operational continuously for 24 to 72 hours without human intervention.

The AS-B sticker protects the internal air of autonomous agricultural robot enclosures, outdoor AMRs, professional and surveillance drones, mining/oil&gas inspection robots, and forestry robots IP65+. Active validation program with a Swiss reference manufacturer in autonomous solar agricultural robotics.

8× usable capacity vs silica gel 0 W — no battery autonomy impact Compatible IP65/IP66/IP67, IK10 Active validation program (solar robots)

Request free samples Get a quote AS-B Request information

Outdoor robotics specifics

One of the most demanding environments worldwide

Outdoor robotics combines all the constraints of an IP65 outdoor deployment + specific autonomous and embedded constraints:

Extreme thermal cycles in open fields: night 0-5°C, daytime 30-40°C — 30°C amplitude in a few hours
Critical morning dew: robot startup at 5-6am while ambient humidity is 95-100% RH
24-72h autonomous operation without supervision: no human intervention
Intensive vibrations, mud, dust, fog, ocean mist
Exposed solar surfaces, strict energy budget

Three direct technical consequences

1. AI vision algorithm failure for weed/crop discrimination

Modern agricultural robots (Naïo Technologies, Carbon Robotics, FarmDroid and other actors of precision weeding) embed AI vision cameras for real-time weed/crop identification and plant-by-plant treatment. Slightest lens fog compromises the algorithm, which can then treat crops as weeds or vice versa.

2. Nuisance LIDAR safety triggering = emergency stop

Autonomous robots integrate safety LIDARs (SIL2/SIL3 certified). Internal condensation on the LIDAR optical protection window triggers emergency stop — intentional safety behavior, but immobilizes the robot until fog evaporates. On an agricultural parcel during morning peak, this can represent several stop hours per daily cycle.

3. Embedded compute board and GNSS RTK receiver degradation

Autonomous robots embed a high-performance AI compute board (NVIDIA Jetson Xavier/Orin, Coral TPU), a GNSS RTK receiver for centimeter navigation, and 4G/5G communication module. These components have high thermal output during operation but in fragile thermal balance — startup/stop cycle condensation generates slow corrosion on high-density traces.

Operational cost

Operational cost on autonomous robot fleet

5,000+

cumulative thermal cycles

Over 5-10 years, particularly severe environment

24-72 h

continuous autonomous operation

No human intervention = failure propagates

$165-3,300

per truck roll on field robot

Multiplied for after-hours, distant parcels

$/hectare

agricultural productivity at stake

On precision weeding, ROI depends on availability

On a 50-robot agricultural fleet at a large-account operator:

Seasonal productivity loss linked to robot stops: tens of thousands of dollars per season
Avoidable field interventions: 5-15% per year = 2-7 interventions/robot/year avoidable = $5,500-165,000 OPEX/year
Avoided early replacement: high-end agricultural robots = $33,000-165,000 per unit, nominal lifetime × 1.5
Brand reputation on growing market: robotics reliability = #1 purchase criterion among agricultural operators

Scope

Concerned verticals and robot types

Autonomous agricultural robots

Plant-by-plant precision weeding robots (European and international actors), Naïo Technologies, FarmDroid, Carbon Robotics LaserWeeder
Targeted spraying and variable application robots
Autonomous harvest robots (asparagus, berries, leafy vegetables)
Crop monitoring and phenotyping robots
Autonomous tractors (John Deere, AGCO, Trimble)

Outdoor AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robots)

Outdoor logistics AMR (OTTO Motors, Locus Robotics, Mobile Industrial Robots)
AMR outdoor industrial sites (petrochemicals, mining, waste sites)
Inspection robots (Boston Dynamics Spot, ANYbotics, Ghost Robotics)

Professional drones

Agricultural drones (surveillance, spraying, phenotyping)
Inspection drones (solar panels, HV lines, energy infrastructure)
Surveillance drones (perimeter security, construction monitoring)

Defense, forestry, solar robots

Perimeter surveillance robots (Seveso sites, military, borders)
Reforestation, silviculture, environmental monitoring robots
Aquaculture robots (offshore farms)
Solar panel cleaning robots (large PV farms)
Industrial autonomous mowers

State of the art

Why current solutions don't suffice

Integrated silica gel pouch

Saturated in months under field thermal cycle aggressiveness
Robot disassembly nearly impossible on industrial assembly line

→ AS-B precisely solves this pain point on outdoor robotics.

Pressure compensating vent

Doesn't control internal humidity. On extreme field thermal cycle, breather alone = robot that condenses.

→ AS-B and pressure vent are complementary.

Integrated heating element

Permanently consumes on embedded battery pack = direct autonomy reduction
On a solar robot, 10-30 W permanent heating reduces daily operational window by 1-2 hours in winter

→ AS-B is a better replacement, no battery autonomy impact.

Stronger IP67/IP68 sealing

IP67/IP68 not airtight to water vapor (protect liquid water, not vapor)
Design and industrialization cost × 2-3

→ AS-B is compatible with any IP class — it complements on internal humidity.

See full comparison of 5 solutions →

Enclosure type	Internal volume	AS-B format
Embedded AI vision sensor	0.5-2 L	AS-B/S (10 cm²)
Embedded safety LIDAR	1-3 L	AS-B/M (20 cm²)
Main compute (Jetson Xavier/Orin)	1-5 L	AS-B/M or AS-B/L
BMS (Battery Management System)	2-10 L	AS-B/L (40 cm²)
Electric motor power housing	2-8 L	AS-B/L
4G/5G/LoRaWAN communication	0.3-1 L	AS-B/XS or AS-B/S
GNSS RTK + IMU	0.5-2 L	AS-B/S
Complete robot enclosure	5-30 L	AS-B/L or AS-C tape
Professional drone	0.5-2 L	AS-B/S or AS-B/M

Animation

Silica gel vs SRD: adsorption isotherms under humidity cycling

Observe how the compared materials behave over a single cycle, then across time.

Scrub timeline slow-mo

↤ cycle 1 slow-mo fast cycles →

Cycle

Current RH

50%

Silica gel saturation 0%

Cap 0.4 mL/g

⚠ REPLACE

SRD saturation 5%

Cap 0.87 mL/g

↻ 0 cycles complete

Lab validation + active program

Lab IP66 test + active B2B validation program

The lab IP66 test by So Sponge is directly applicable to the scope of autonomous robot electronic enclosures (volumes 0.5-3 L for most functional compartments).

Configuration	Result
Bare housing (control)	Significant fogging from 30 minutes
Housing with pressure vent	Fogging matching control
Housing with AS-B sticker	No fogging over test duration

Active B2B validation program

Active validation program with a Swiss reference manufacturer in autonomous solar agricultural robotics (plant-by-plant precision weeding with embedded AI vision), operating in open fields on various crops with full solar autonomy. AS-B integration in housing design addresses the specific constraints of a solar agricultural robot.

Extreme agricultural parcel thermal cycles, morning startup in saturated dew, no human intervention over 24-72h autonomous operation, strict energy budget (solar charging only). Validation program extended to other European and international actors of the outdoor robotics segment.

Read the full test →

FAQ

Outdoor robotics and anti-condensation

Is AS-B already used in production on autonomous agricultural robots?

Yes — active validation program with a Swiss reference manufacturer for plant-by-plant precision weeding. The targeted robots operate in open fields with full solar autonomy and embedded AI vision — among the most demanding use cases in terms of thermal cycle and optical reliability.

Does AS-B impact my robot's battery autonomy?

No, this is precisely a key argument on this vertical. AS-B is fully passive (zero electrical consumption). On a solar or battery-powered robot, the energy budget is preserved vs heating system that would consume 10-30 W permanent and reduce autonomy by 1-2 hours in winter.

Compatibility with SIL2/SIL3 safety LIDAR sensors?

Yes without interaction. AS-B is a passive consumable. Bonus argument: by eliminating internal condensation on safety LIDAR optical protection window, AS-B reduces nuisance triggering frequency of emergency stops — fewer unjustified stops during field operation.

Is AS-B compatible with AI vision cameras for weed/crop discrimination?

Yes without interaction. AS-B sits in the robot electronic compartment, away from the optical chain (cameras and vision sensors). SRD material is passive, inert, emits no volatile compounds.

Compatibility with embedded AI compute boards (NVIDIA Jetson Xavier/Orin, Coral TPU)?

Yes without interaction. AS-B sits in the electronic housing embedding compute, away from heatsink. Bonus effect: AS-B reduces ambient humidity around compute = reduces high-frequency leakage current risk on BGA traces.

For my robots already deployed for 3 years in field — retrofit possible?

Retrofit possible but should be integrated into a scheduled maintenance cycle. The retrofit prevents aggravation and stabilizes future performance. Typical estimated ROI: 1-2 agricultural seasons depending on climate.

Performance in tropical humid climate?

Use case where AS-B delivers most value. Atmospheric humidity density in tropical zones creates a permanent cumulative load on outdoor robots. AS-B maintains internal RH below 60% independently of external RH (up to 95% in tropical climate). Relevant for SE Asia, Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa.

MOQ and lead time for a robot manufacturer?

Standard MOQ: 5,000 units AS-B/XS, 10,000 units AS-B/S+. Lead time 6-8 weeks. Express on request.

Compatibility with intense vibrations and shocks?

AS-B sticker is designed to withstand standard outdoor vibrations. For applications with intense shocks (mining robots, military robots), complementary mechanical fixation (retention clip, encapsulation resin) can be studied case-by-case.

CSRD and carbon reporting?

Yes. By extending autonomous robot lifetime (high-end, high unit carbon impact) and reducing replacement frequency of critical components (cameras, LIDAR, compute), AS-B reduces carbon footprint reported annually under scope 3.