CIDA Seminar-Manoj Karkee

AI and Robotics has been and will continue to play a key role in reducing farming inputs such as labor, water and fertilizer, and increasing productivity and produce quality. Modular sensing, automation and robotics technologies developed in recent years (including mobile device-based Applications), decreasing cost and increasing capabilities of sensing, control and automation technologies such as UAVs, robust AI tools such as deep learning, and increasing emphasis by governments around the world in advancing AI-empowered smart and automated technologies have created a conductive environment to develop and adopt smart, robotic farming systems for the benefit of agricultural industries around the world with a wide range of farming scale and environment. In this presentation, the author will introduce the evolution of agricultural technologies and then discuss the importance of AI-empowered precision and automated/robotic systems for the future of farming (Smart Farming, Ag 4.0). He will continue with summarizing the past efforts and current status of agricultural automation and robotics in agriculture with special emphasis on fruit crops. The presentation will conclude with an introduction of the novel robotic systems being developed in his program, and discussion on major challenges and opportunities in AI and robotics in agriculture and related areas including future directions in research and development.