Faculty Mentor Information
Dr. John Shovic (Mentor), University of Idaho
Additional Funding Sources
The original FarmBot was purchased by a donation made by John Stone to the Coeur d'Alene Robotics Fund, while the lighting gantry research and assembly, PCM to FarmBot research, and PCM to PLC research were funded by OUR awards in Spring 2023, Fall 2023, and Spring 2024, respectively.
Abstract
The University of Idaho’s Center for Intelligent Industrial Robotics (CI2R) aims to further research in the fields of precision agriculture and industrial automation. One ongoing project is an automated farming robot (FarmBot) which autonomously takes care of crops using light from a temporary, fixed lighting system. A new, Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)-controlled variable height Light-Emitting Diode (LED) lighting gantry robot has been designed and built, thanks to grants from the University’s Office of Undergraduate Research, but its software is yet to be fully integrated into the FarmBot autonomous plant care system. The use of a PLC, an industrial automation tool, in this domain serves as an application of industrial automation techniques to precision agriculture. This semester, efforts will be directed towards establishing necessary communication between the FarmBot and the lighting gantry robot. This integration aims to ensure collision avoidance within the multi-robot system and enable the light panels to adjust dynamically to the plants' changing lighting requirements. To address this challenge, research will focus on leveraging the recently developed Python Control Module (PCM). Initially designed to manage FarmBot plant care routines, the PCM will be explored as a potential solution for facilitating communication between the two systems. The lighting gantry robot is currently installed over a second, unused FarmBot for testing purposes but will be mounted over the original FarmBot upon completion of various consistency and safety tests.
Integration of Control for Diverse Multi-Robot System
The University of Idaho’s Center for Intelligent Industrial Robotics (CI2R) aims to further research in the fields of precision agriculture and industrial automation. One ongoing project is an automated farming robot (FarmBot) which autonomously takes care of crops using light from a temporary, fixed lighting system. A new, Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)-controlled variable height Light-Emitting Diode (LED) lighting gantry robot has been designed and built, thanks to grants from the University’s Office of Undergraduate Research, but its software is yet to be fully integrated into the FarmBot autonomous plant care system. The use of a PLC, an industrial automation tool, in this domain serves as an application of industrial automation techniques to precision agriculture. This semester, efforts will be directed towards establishing necessary communication between the FarmBot and the lighting gantry robot. This integration aims to ensure collision avoidance within the multi-robot system and enable the light panels to adjust dynamically to the plants' changing lighting requirements. To address this challenge, research will focus on leveraging the recently developed Python Control Module (PCM). Initially designed to manage FarmBot plant care routines, the PCM will be explored as a potential solution for facilitating communication between the two systems. The lighting gantry robot is currently installed over a second, unused FarmBot for testing purposes but will be mounted over the original FarmBot upon completion of various consistency and safety tests.