With a series of video portraits, TV journalist
Sibylle Tiessen takes us on a captivating journey into a world full of exciting projects, cultural diversity and authentic stories on Mallorca. Supported by TUI, the
TUI Care Foundation and
Majorca Daily Bulletin, viewers learn more about the island from a whole new perspective, from inspiring stories of locals to social, artistic, ecological, scientific and political aspects.
Damián Bover Trobat's deep love for the earth is evident in sentences like this: “I’ve always liked seeing the green of small plants in autumn, the golden colour of wheat fields once they’re ready to be harvested in July. I love looking at a melon field.” Born in Porreres, Bover is both a farmer and an inventor. His creation, Utopus – an alternative to the tractor – is close to being launched into space.
Bover went on to complete multidisciplinary vocational training and worked as a computer systems technician. At the same time, he always had a passion for machinery. The constant use of tractors for soil cultivation and weed removal fascinated him, but he was also critical of the damage the wheels cause to the soil and the immense diesel consumption, which produces CO₂. So, Bover set about designing a light, autonomous, and environmentally friendly machine – the Utopus.
He and his team received a recommendation from US authorities to pursue two applications simultaneously: first, to establish a company that could apply for funding from space agencies, and second, to develop a prototype for agricultural use.