News

A giant electronic scanner in Maricopa, Arizona

A Giant Crop-scanner is Turning Heads in Arizona

Oct 11, 2016

With its 30-ton frame and 50-foot-high catwalk, the newest scanner for measuring crop plants in Maricopa, Arizona, can be seen for miles. It looms over a tract the length of two football fields and...

Read more at USDA.gov
George Kantor is Senior Systems Scientist for The Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon.

Carnegie Mellon and Near Earth Autonomy robot and drones put on a show at Clemson

Aug 22, 2016

PENDLETON, South Carolina – A rumbling robot and several high-flying drones recently made an on-site appearance at Clemson University to burrow through and buzz above 15 acres of experimental sorghum...

Read more at newsstand.clemson.edu
New Robotic Phenotyper

New robotic phenotyper deployed to advance improvement of key bioenergy crop

Aug 2, 2016

In 2015, the Danforth Center announced a multi-institutional $8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy ARPA–E TERRA division to support a big data research program to advance the...

Read more at danforthcenter.org
The LemnaTech scanalyzer in Maricopa, designed in Germany.

In Arizona, A Giant Robotic Scanner Studies Crops

Jul 11, 2016

Scientists in Arizona are using a giant robotic scanner to study crops grown for biofuels, under drought conditions. The U.S. Department of Energy has invested millions into the robotic recording...

Read more at wbur.org
The world's largest robotic field scanner (white steel box)

World’s largest robotic field scanner now in place

Jun 21, 2016

The UA is part of an effort led by the U.S. Department of Energy to collect and generate big data faster and develop new crops more quickly for sustainable domestic energy — and food, feed and fiber...

Read more at UA News
Plants

Benson Hill Biosystems and Danforth Plant Science Center partner to create sustainable sources of bioenergy

Jun 20, 2016

CropOS™ Cloud Biology Platform Tapped to Advance Sustainable Crop Development ST. LOUIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Benson Hill Biosystems, an agricultural technology company dedicated to enhancing the...

Read more at bensonhillbio.com
LemnaTec's Field Scanalyzer robot is being used to look for high-yielding bioenergy crops at the University of Arizona’s Maricopa Agricultural Center.

The largest field robot in the world

Jun 14, 2016

When you think about field robots, you’ll likely bring up images of small spider-like machines that work in groups to tend the crop. At least those are the types we’ve written about in the past (See...

Read more at farmindustrynews.com
LemnaTec's Field Scanalyzer robot is being used to look for high-yielding bioenergy crops at the University of Arizona’s Maricopa Agricultural Center.

Robot allows for close monitoring of crop advances

Jun 13, 2016

Global plant phenotyping specialist LemnaTec has unveiled the largest field robot in the world, capable of continuously monitoring the development of crops under real growing conditions. The new...

Read more at feedstuffs.com
The largest Field Scanalyzer

Crops, Bots and Bytes: Check Out the Robots Behind ARPA-E’s Agro-Energy Program

Jun 9, 2016

Biofuels have huge potential as a low-carbon alternative to fossil fuels for transportation. But farming crops for biofuel takes land, fresh water and other resources that are increasingly scarce as...

Read more at energy.gov
Southern Farm Network

Technology in sorghum research through the TERRA program

Jun 7, 2016

The Sorghum Checkoff announced a $500,000 investment in sorghum research last week at the inaugural Transportation Energy Resources from Renewable Agriculture (TERRA) program field day at the...

Read more at sfntoday.com