Last month Northwest Nazarene University Robotics Vision Lab was notified they had been awarded a $101,000 grant by the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation. This specialty crop grant, presented by the Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA), will allow the University鈥檚 faculty and student researchers to continue working on a project they have been developing for the past several years.
鈥淭his grant will help our engineering students continue to improve the performance of the fruit harvesting robot named OrBot that we have designed and built,鈥 said Duke Bulanon, N麻豆原创 professor of engineering. 鈥淚t will be beneficial in helping us continue to move forward with this project as we strive to meet the agricultural needs in our local area.鈥
This cutting-edge technology generated in N麻豆原创鈥檚 Physics and Engineering program allows undergraduate students to get revolutionary, hands-on experience applying what they鈥檙e learning in the classroom. The OrBot, now gaining national attention, has the potential to change how fruit is harvested.
The Idaho State Department of Agriculture sponsors the research and promotion of projects that aid specialty crop growers in Idaho. Since the program was created in 2009, the ISDA has awarded 181 projects a total of $18.35 million.
