Agbot tank level monitors built to endure the harshest conditions

Agbot is a newly released agtech product that certainly fits the bill.

The tank level monitoring system can be used on diesel, water and liquid fertiliser tanks as well as dams and livestock troughs.

It is based off a product built by its parent company, Gasbot, which monitors LPG cylinder levels.

Agbot business development manager Nathan Parker said one aspect that sets Agbot apart from its competitors is the quality of the build.

The product is built in Brisbane by one of Australia's leading defence contractors.

Farmers who have previously lost equipment due to natural disasters will be pleased to hear some of these devices were submerged in the floods and still reporting after floodwaters receded.

"Going into gas you have to be intrinsically safe, you have to encapsulate all your internals into resins and things like that so that it can't be sparked," Mr Parker said.

"We had to prove this device down to -40 and to +80 [degrees Celsius] for operation, so we actually plunge it into ice, bring it down to that temperature, then put it into ovens.

"It's a sealed unit, there's no access points, nothing can get in for the life of the product."

Agbot has satellite connectivity, with alerts sent four times a day, and at that send-rate the battery life is about 10 years.

In terms of installation, it is NFC activated, "so you just tap it with your phone to bring it to life".

Minimum and upper level alerts can be set up and an email or SMS can be sent when these levels are reached.

"You then have a platform where you can get full information on the computer or you've got it accessible at your hand on your iPhone or Android device," Mr Parker said.

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Mr Parker said Gasbot's expansion into 15 countries in the LPG sector was evidence of its solid history in telemetry.

This growth has also delivered scale, making products cheaper as a result.

"Origin Energy is actually the major shareholder, so we have thousands upon thousands of Gasbot devices, which are very similar to the Agbot," Mr Parker said.

"We come with a disruptive pricing model, because of our scale and the satellite, we can bring satellite costs at a cellular level.

"Satellite monitoring is generally very expensive, it's not anymore."

Mr Parker said the response to the product at the FarmFest field days, outside Toowoomba, Qld, had been fantastic.

"When they understand the low cost of the device, their mindset changes," he said.

"It's broadened the appeal of this sort of telemetry to the mass market and everyday farmers."