Eldert van Henten

Eldert van Henten is a full professor of Biosystems Engineering at Wageningen University & Research. His research focuses on agro food robotics, precision farming, and optimal control systems in agriculture. He earned his MSc (1987) and PhD (1994) in Agricultural and Environmental Sciences from Wageningen University. He previously led the Farm Technology Group until 2021 and currently leads projects like FlexCRAFT (Cognitive Robots for Flexible Agro Food Technology) and Trimbot2020, developing robotics and automation for agricultural applications. His work emphasizes translating technology to practical environments (TRL 5-6), with contributions to robotic harvesting, precision weed control, and greenhouse climate modeling.

• Education: MSc (cum laude, 1987), PhD (1994) in Agricultural Sciences at Wageningen University.
• Key Projects:
  • FlexCRAFT: Generic robotics principles for food processing, packing, and greenhouse operations.
  • Trimbot2020: Outdoor garden trimming robot with 3D path planning.
  • PoultryBot: Autonomous egg collection in poultry farming.
• Editorial Roles: Member of editorial boards for Biosystems Engineering, Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, and others.
• Research Themes:
  • Agro food robotics (harvesting, vision systems, machine learning).
  • Optimal control of agricultural processes (greenhouse climate, irrigation).
  • Generic robotics frameworks for agri-food applications.
• Awards: Not explicitly listed, but recognized via research impact (h-index 31–47 across platforms).

His teaching includes courses on greenhouse technology, field robotics, and thesis supervision. He collaborates with industry through user groups and consortia to ensure practical technology transfer.