The engineering and technology department at Langston University has made a new robot to help the agriculture department and farmers with their crops, gardens, vegetables and more.
Previously the department has worked on about 17 drones to help farmers take pictures and scan their farms to see what they can do next with their garden. Now, this new robot can scan and tell farmers if there are weeds and bugs in their garden.
Marcio White, a professor and instructor in the engineering and technology department, runs the project. He has allowed five students to help build this robot. The computer science department participated in the project and then the agriculture department helped fund the project.
Yumna Ali and Omarion Patterson are two of the students who have helped build the robot. Ali is the student manager of the project; this was their first big project and they could not wait to share it with people at the university.
Ali said “The best thing about this major is working on projects like this.” Patterson added to that comment and said “The funniest thing about it is building it because you might make mistakes and you have to start over. After you’re done, it’s just a sight to see.”
Ali also said “Kids were excited to see a robot in person. You watch things like Big Hero Six and see an actual robot in person is the coolest thing to them.”
Mistakes are a common part of the process. “You can mess up the wiring on it. Some wires have multiple junctions, so if you connect it to the wrong one it can mess the robot up,” Ali said.
As a college student you have to learn how to balance your school work and also have a good time and enjoy yourself. In order to enjoy the college experience and still get work done, Ali said, “We split into different mini projects, that way not just one person is doing the work.”
Ali wants more students at Langston to participate in the major as well. “The major is pretty niche. There are a lot of people who get scared to come to it because it is a lot of work and responsibility. But, when everyone is here and you work together, it becomes really easy.”
When asked on a scale of one to ten how hard is it to build a robot like this, Ali said “I would say a four because the electronic parts are very hard. Assembly-wise, it was very easy because it came with instructions. It required a lot of wrenches and screwdrivers.”
Patterson and Ali mentioned that helping farmers is not the only goal. One of the goals is to compete with other universities. The team has now completed about five test drives with the robot.
Patterson had to draw a rough draft of how the robot would look and the students had to create a 3D model to expand on that vision. That way, if something went wrong they could look back at the 3d model and sketches.
They both enjoy telling students and staff all around campus that they have worked on this project and they are looking forward to building more projects in the future.
Both Patterson and Ali took the robot on a test drive around campus. While they did that, instructor Marcio White walked with them and talked about some of the things that the robot can do.
“We are programing it to use a laser to help eradicate the weeds in the garden,” White said. “We have planting capabilities we want the robot to do. We have a trailer that is coming so it can attach to the three point hitch to do so.”
Another thing that the robot can do is have an autonomous mission, meaning the robot can move by itself without someone controlling it. With the robot, you can map out the side walk while also having a sensor so it can move when something is in the way.
Hopefully this robot project can lead to helping as many farmers in the future as possible. This is just a next step in making the agriculture, engineering and technology program better.
Watch this video to see footage of the robot!
POLLING DIRECTOR AND STAFF WRITER
Anthony Henry is a sophomore broadcast journalism major from Oklahoma City and he currently attends Langston University. He likes to do profile stories and cover special events in his community and on campus. He believes his work is important because of the First Amendment. Journalism is the only profession mentioned in the First Amendment and Anthony believes in the rights of the people and is willing to tell their stories. Anthony enjoys music so much; he listens to R&B, Jazz, and Hip-Hop. He also enjoys spending time with friends. Anthony can be reached at anthony.c.henry@langston.edu as well as @the.realtony3 on Instagram.
