Feature
The SIU engineering team that designed and developed a crop inspecting robot, as shown here. From left to right, Cameron Schwartzberg, Professor Chao Lu and Curtis Shuman.
Rolling Through the Rows
A High-Tech Solution to an Age-Old Challenge
By Mara Watts
As American farmers age, innovation and technology is becoming increasingly important. Planting crops such as soybeans and corn in narrower rows offers farmers several benefits— yields more plants per acre, crowds out weeds earlier in the season and requires less herbicide use. However, walking through 15-inch rows is challenging, and most agricultural drones can’ t spot every issue.
To address this need, two engineering students at Southern Illinois University( SIU) developed a robot as part of their senior design project. Their ingenious creation navigates tight spaces, allowing farmers to monitor their fields without damaging their crops.
Developing a Robot to Help Farmers Monitor Crops
According to Chao Lu, associate professor of Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering at SIU, the idea for the project originated from the need to improve agricultural efficiency. As farming practices evolve, the challenge of monitoring crops effectively becomes more pressing.
“ With Southern Illinois being home to extensive soybean and corn farms, we saw an opportunity to use robotics and AI( artificial intelligence) to address this challenge, creating a robot that could help farmers inspect crops like soybeans without having to physically walk through fields,” he said.
The project received an $ 18,000 seed grant that was used to gather essential resources to build the prototype, purchase necessary components and cover developmental costs. And, according to Lu, the grant allowed the students, Curtis Shuman
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