Precision Agriculture Technologies

Precision Agriculture Technologies

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Our Theme:

Precision and automated agriculture aims at developing capability to make and implement automated farming decisions with increasingly desirable outcomes over time, which is also referred to as smart farming or Ag 4.0. The goal of such a capability in farming would be to assist in producing ‘More/Better with Less’ without compromising the potential for future generation to achieve the same. Fundamental AI techniques such as deep learning, derivative technologies such as Machine Vision and Robotics and infrastructure provided by Cyber Physical Systems (CPS), enables modern agriculture to achieve this goal through efficient and effective monitoring, management and assessment of outcomes of various farming operations. The following diagram depicts an interaction between these tools and technologies and what does that mean for agriculture.

(need diagram sent via email as powerpoint ?)

Ongoing Research Projects/Initiatives:

Transitioning from siloed research and development approach in precision and automated agriculture technologies, our team is implementing integrated approach that combines mechanization, precision, automation and robotics components to realize smart or intelligent farming systems. It has been facilitated by use of emerging tools and technologies such as AI/ML, CPS, IoT (sometimes also called IoATs). 

Contemporary precision and automated agricultural systems are designed to achieve one or more of the following.

• Improve crop yield and quality
• Apply right type of input, at right amount, at right rate, at right time and at right location (ideally to manage the variability at site-specific levels)
• Reduce dependency on manual labor and improve worker health and safety including improvement of working environment
• Learn and represent human expertise using AI-based techniques and use it in future decision making
• Understand human-machine-crop/canopy interactions and design solutions that are accurate, robust and reliable 
• Improve long-term sustainability of crop production

Areas of Research Development:

(need this sent via email in Powerpoint)

Facilities:

• Agricultural Weather Network (AgWeatherNet)
• Biological Systems Engineering Department
• Center for Precision and Automated Agricultural Systems
• Precision Ag Program, Department of Crop Science 
• School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Core Faculty: