TerraSentia Ag Robot to Help Identify Top-performing Traits that could Boost Food Crop Yields

By Caroline Rees / 07 Jan 2020

Smart Sourcing for Unmanned Systems

Discover cutting-edge solutions from leading global suppliers
SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
Follow UST

The University of Illinois is home to the robot TerraSentia, which was developed to transform the world of data collection in agricultural fields. Now, this robot is taking a new journey through the research plots of the project Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) to help identify top-performing traits that could boost food crop yields.

RIPE is supported by the Gates Foundation, the U.S. Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), and the U.K. Government’s Department for International Development (DFID) to address the global food challenge by engineering plants to increase their photosynthetic efficiency to help farmers worldwide produce higher-yielding crops.

TerraSentia collects under-canopy data while driving autonomously. Footage provided by EarthSense, Inc.

“Photosynthesis is the process where plants convert sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water into carbohydrates,” said RIPE Director Stephen Long, Ikenberry Endowed University Chair of Crop Sciences and Plant Biology at Illinois. “Directly or indirectly this process is the source of all of our food.”

Initially, TerraSentia was developed with support from the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to phenotype bioenergy crops, which involves measuring plant traits to identify desirable genes for selective breeding. The research project is called TERRA-MEPP, which stands for Transportation Energy Resource from Renewable Agriculture—Mobile Energy-Crop Phenotyping.

Now, these two projects are coming together to the benefit of farmers.

“With its compact and autonomous build, TerraSentia goes under crop canopies and can see the whole plant,” said Girish Chowdhary, an assistant professor of field robotics in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Illinois. “In the past, a lack of automation for measuring plant traits has been a bottleneck to progress.”

“While drones are commonly used to view crops, they can only see the crop surface—we needed the means to measure the plant from the ground surface up,” said Long, also the director of the TERRA-MEPP project. “TerraSentia has provided us with this capability and can also detect many pathological conditions that are hidden when you view the crop from above.”

For the RIPE project, TerraSentia will be used to phenotype plants that are being engineered for more efficient photosynthesis to increase the production of staple food crops. TerraSentia will enable RIPE researchers to identify the top-performing plants more quickly and accurately than they could by hand, accelerating improvement. 

Both projects stand to benefit from this collaboration.

“TerraSentia is meant to be for general use by plant breeders and farmers—anyone with a field they need to monitor,” said Chowdhary, who is also a faculty member at the Coordinated Science Laboratory at Illinois. “By helping RIPE, our robot will be able to ‘learn’ how to evaluate different crops. The RIPE project will learn more about the biology of these crops using TerraSentia to phenotyping these plants.”

“Previously, equipment for phenotyping crop fields could cost millions while lacking portability,” Long said. “TerraSentia is a fraction of these costs and can be easily transported, promising to make phenotyping and robotic crop monitoring available to many.”

Starting in 2018, EarthSense—a University of Illinois start-up company—has made this technology available to other public-sector institutions, including Cornell University, Colorado State University, University of Wisconsin, Michigan State University, Texas A&M University. Leading global private sector agricultural companies are also evaluating the TerraSentia to accelerate their crop breeding and product development programs.  

Posted by Caroline Rees Caroline co-founded Unmanned Systems Technology and has been at the forefront of the business ever since. With a Masters Degree in marketing Caroline has her finger on the pulse of all things unmanned and is committed to showcasing the very latest in unmanned technical innovation. Connect & Contact

Latest Articles

Low- & Zero-Emission Propulsion & Power Generation Solutions for UAVs

NEX Power's hybrid propulsion technologies are designed to enable next-generation applications such as UAM and heavy-lift cargo drones

Feb 07, 2025
Most Read Articles on UST This Week

Here’s our round-up of the five most read articles on UnmannedSystemsTechnology.com this week

Feb 07, 2025
Project OPTIMAS to Utilize Schiebel VTOL UAS for Advanced Optical Laser Communications

Project OPTIMAS and Schiebel are set to develop a secure, high-speed optical communication system using quantum encryption and laser technology for multi-domain defence and satellite connectivity

Feb 07, 2025
Gemini 1200id High-Resolution Sonar Optimized for Unmanned Underwater Operations

Tritech's Gemini 1200id sonar offers high-resolution imaging, advanced noise reduction, and dual-frequency capability, enhancing performance for unmanned underwater systems and mission-critical ROV operations

Feb 07, 2025
Dockstr to Offer SubC Imaging’s Underwater Cameras & Software Solutions

SubC Imaging has announced Dockstr as its new agent, extending access to its advanced underwater cameras, DVRs, and remote operation systems across key offshore sectors worldwide

Feb 07, 2025
New NDAA-Compliant FPV Drone Camera Released 

Unusual Machines has launched the NDAA-compliant Fat Shark Aura FPV Camera, offering high-performance, first-person view capabilities for commercial and defense applications

Feb 07, 2025

Featured Content

Vertiq’s 81-08 G2 Module Added to DIU’s Blue UAS Framework

Vertiq's 81-08 G2 servo motor and control system for Group 2 sUAS has become the first motor and ESC combination to be approved under the U.S. government's Blue UAS Framework

Feb 05, 2025
Compact Remote ID Receiver Released for Enhanced Drone Safety

Dronetag has introduced RIDER, a pocket-sized, drone-agnostic Remote ID receiver designed to improve airspace situational awareness and support commercial and public safety applications

Jan 30, 2025
New GCS Software Released for C100 Quadcopter

Performance Drone Works introduces PDW CORE, a comprehensive software bundle enhancing the C100 quadcopter's capabilities with a new UI, flight simulator, mission planner, ATAK integration, and fleet management tools

Jan 29, 2025
Advanced Signal Mapping Tool Released for Effective UAV Flight Planning

Elsight has launched HeatSight, a signal strength mapping tool that provides UAV operators with reliable cellular coverage data, improving flight planning efficiency and safety for BVLOS missions

Jan 28, 2025
Doodle Labs Unveils Mobile App for Managing Mesh Networks

Doodle Labs is introducing the Mesh Rider® Mobile App, providing intuitive tools for managing wireless mesh networks across devices such as ground control stations (GCS) and UAVs

Jan 23, 2025
Advanced FOG-Based Inertial Sensing Solutions for Drones & Robotics

Aegiverse's products feature a multi-layered architecture that combines multiple elements into a compact module, providing significant, size, weight and cost reductions

Jan 21, 2025