A UW-Stout research project is combining automated robotics and AI for agricultural applications, in hopes of saving time and effort for farmers.
The effort is supported with a two-year, $175,000 Universities of Wisconsin Innovation Grant, funding work led by UW-Stout engineering Prof. Yuan Xing and applied social science Program Director Tina Lee.
As part of the project, researchers deployed an autonomous robot called the Amiga at Pondview Lavender Farm near Chippewa Falls. The specialty crop farm is owned by UW-Stout operations and management lecturer Bob Sworski.
The Amiga robot, built by California company Farm-ng, is an all-terrain “micro-tractor” that can be used in any weather for various farming purposes, according to the university. That includes pest and disease control, weeding and harvesting, and capturing images and other data. It can also hold up to 1,000 pounds, which Xing notes can save “a significant amount of labor” for farmers.
UW-Stout students Aaron Post and Jake See are playing a role in the project, which aims to create a fully automatic system with specially designed AI “brain” for piloting the robot on the farm. Xing says the configuration process for that application is ongoing, but could lead to researchers “activating the fully automatic self-driving and vision inspection function” at Pondview Lavender Farm.
See, an applied mathematics and computer science major from Singapore, is Xing’s research assistant. In the university’s release, he says he’s hopeful this new AI application will help farmers produce better crops more efficiently.
While sensors that collect soil and weather data can inform farmers’ decisions about planting and harvesting, image analysis can identify diseases in crops and improve livestock monitoring, See said.
“Robotic automation can make the planting or harvesting process easier, allowing farmers to reallocate time and labor to other efforts, such as expanding their farms or other elements of their business,” he said.
Also as part of the research project, Lee is leading a team at a River Falls livestock farm that plans to install livestock sensors and develop an AI monitoring system.
See more in the release.
