The K’AMS lab focuses on advancing agricultural technology through mechatronics, robotics, automation, and engineering systems. Our research combines unmanned aerial vehicles, ground rovers, and autonomous systems, addressing challenges in precision agriculture, environmental monitoring, and sustainable farming practices. The lab integrates expertise in sensors and microcontroller platforms for real-time data collection and analysis.

The K’AMS lab also explores the role of mobile and fluid power systems in agricultural machinery, including internal combustion engines, and hydraulic systems. Our research is guided by practical applications in fields such as biofuel production, energy optimization, and automated irrigation. Through interdisciplinary projects, we aim to bridge the gap between theoretical engineering and real-world agricultural applications, promoting innovation in both the classroom and the field.

K’AMS lab also serves as a hub for teaching and training the next generation of agricultural engineers and scientists, offering courses in applied instrumentation, fluid power systems, mobile power, and field robotics. By combining academic instruction with hands-on research, the Lab enables students to develop skills that are critical to addressing the growing challenges of modern agriculture.

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K’AMS Lab - Capabilities and Equipment

The K’AMS Lab is equipped with cutting-edge technologies designed to support advanced research and hands-on learning in agricultural mechatronics, automation, robotics, and systems engineering. Our lab provides a dynamic environment for students and researchers to engage with the latest tools and techniques shaping the future of smart agriculture. Below is an overview of the key equipment available for use in undergraduate and graduate teaching and research:

• Robot platforms: Our lab is equipped with versatile robotic arms i.e. Ufactory 850 designed for precision tasks such as picking, sorting, and packaging, as well as experiments in robotic control and AI programming. We also have delta robots in different payload capacities, which are capable of performing high-speed, precise tasks. These robotic systems provide our lab with the capacity to support research and development in agricultural automation and precision technologies.

• Custom-Built Ground Rovers: Our lab features custom-built ground rovers specifically designed for autonomous agricultural tasks such as crop monitoring, soil analysis, and precision farming. These rovers serve as platforms for research in navigation algorithms, sensor integration, and real-time data collection in agricultural environments.

• Farm-ng Amiga Platform: This platform is a research tool in the lab, used for testing autonomous mobile systems in real-world agricultural settings. It integrates various sensors and control algorithms, supporting experiments on precision agriculture, field robotics, and environmental monitoring. Undergraduate and graduate students participate in the Farm Robotics Challenge competition which uses the Amiga platform.

• Custom-Built and Commercial UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles): Our collection includes both custom-built and commercial UAVs for aerial imaging, environmental monitoring, and precision agriculture. These UAVs are equipped with advanced sensors and cameras for gathering data on crop yields and other environmental variables.

• 3D Printers: Our lab has a 3D printer available for rapid prototyping and the creation of custom components used in agricultural robotics. The printer enables lab members and students to design and fabricate parts for robots, drones, and sensors used in agricultural applications.

• Electronics Tools: Our lab is equipped with a variety of electronic tools necessary for the development and troubleshooting of agricultural robotic and sensing systems. This includes oscilloscopes, multimeters, soldering stations, microcontroller kits, and power supplies for designing and testing control systems and sensor networks.

• High-Intensity Ultrasonic Transducers Cutting Blades: These ultrasonic cutting blades use high-intensity sound waves to cut materials with precision.

• Low-Intensity Ultrasound Transducers: These transducers are employed in non-destructive testing and material manipulation.

• Hydraulics Teaching Trainers: These systems are fundamental for understanding fluid power and control systems within agricultural machinery. Students can experiment with hydraulic and electro-hydraulic principles used in agricultural equipment like tractors, harvesters, and irrigation systems.