Precision Technologies for Physical and Visual Sensing in Agricultural Systems

Agricultural environments can be dynamic, semi-structured, and uncertain, posing challenges for data collection at the necessary spatial and temporal scales to enable meaningful analysis and decision-making. Small robotic systems, often coupled with computer vision applications, can overcome some of these challenges by enabling autonomous or human-assisted remote and in situ data collection. This talk will present a suite of technologies that leverage robotics, mechatronics, and/or computer vision to broaden sensing and sensemaking capabilities across different types of agricultural environments. Demonstrative case studies will be presented, with an emphasis on in-field robotics for row crop monitoring, hyperspectral imaging for high-throughput screening, and leveraging small unoccupied aerial systems (UAS) for in situ data collection and sampling. This talk will illustrate how the strategic and user-focused design of automated systems can overcome unique data collection challenges to enable better understanding and decision-making in agricultural environments.

Sierra Young

Assistant Professor, NC State on October 15, 2021 at 10:15 AM in EB3 2232

Dr. Sierra Young is an Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at North Carolina State University. Broadly speaking, her research focuses on the use of robotics and automation for sensing and sense-making in agricultural and natural systems, and human-robot interaction for small unoccupied systems. She also conducts Extension work in the area of sensors and robotics for precision management. Dr. Young was awarded the New Faces of ASABE Top Honoree and was recently invited to participate in the 2021 National Academy of Engineering US Frontiers of Engineering (FOE) Symposium. Before arriving at NC State, she worked as a Visiting Scholar in the Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department at Iowa State University. Dr. Young received her Ph.D. in Civil Engineering as a Department of Defense NDSEG Fellow with a focus on the human-robot interaction for physical object manipulation by small aerial systems from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2018.

This lecture series features exciting and dynamic visiting and virtual speakers from across the range of ECE disciplines. Take some time every Friday morning to be inspired by these great scientists and engineers before heading into the weekend!