Organization
UA Department of Biosystems Engineering
Offering
ENGR498-S2024-F2024
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, the world’s population is expected to grow to almost 10 billion by 2050 with two out of every three people are expected to live in urban areas. Beyond providing fresh local produce, vertical indoor agriculture could help increase food production and expand agricultural operations. Producing fresh greens and vegetables close to growing urban populations could help meet growing global food demands in an environmentally responsible and sustainable way by reducing distribution chains to offer lower emissions, providing higher-nutrient produce, and drastically reducing water usage and runoff. Vertical farms incorporate controlled-environment agriculture, which aims to optimize plant growth and soilless farming techniques such as hydroponics, aquaponics, and aeroponics. One of the most significant resource inputs and cost in a vertical farm system (and also in greenhouse operations) is labor mainly for crop maintenance and produce harvesting. Leafy greens are commonly grown in vertical farms within nutrient film technique or deep water culture based systems with produce harvesting and packing performed manually demanding significant time with labor use and cost for the labor affecting profitably of the vertical farming operations. This project aims to design an autonomous, robotic platform to harvest leafy greens and microgreens that is suited for a vertical farm system (can also be used on greenhouse operations with similar crop productions systems).
Scope: (1) Work with senior capstone course instructor, and Dr. Murat Kacira and Mike Mason (from BE Department) to understand the hydroponic crop
production systems growing leafy greens in vertical farm and greenhouse systems. (2) Evaluate the produce harvesting operation, required tools and system used in commercial operations, and determine the needs for an autonomous robotic platform for produce harvesting. (3) Design the system and create a 3D technical SolidWorks/AutoCad drawings. (4) Build a prototype system, complete its mechanical, optical, and electrical diagrams and components. (5) Develop and implement the programing code for systems operations for mechanical, electrical, and optical controls. (6) Test system and demonstrate its operations. (7) Develop plans (including cost estimates) to turn the lab prototype into a standalone, compact, turnkey system that can be used in a commercial vertical farm (possibly in greenhouse operation). The system designed and produced should be capable of receiving produce rafts/holding boards to the harvesting station, introducing the produce and roots to the harvesting unit, removing the produce shoot and roots from the growing rafts/boards, and presenting the shoots into conveyor belt directing to packing line, and directing the roots to a collecting bin for recycling purposes, and directing the emptied raft/board to a stacking platform/line. (8) Present results in a video conference and PowerPoint presentation to Sponsor and at the COE Presentation Day.
***Interview schedule coming soon***
