Latest news with #Pratihar
Indian Express
16-05-2025
- Science
- Indian Express
Now, a robot can self-detect crop diseases and spray pesticides, courtesy IIT KGP
written by Sharadiya Mitra At IIT Kharagpur's Mechanical Engineering department, a remarkable innovation in smart farming has taken shape: a machine that will deploy pesticides after detecting plant diseases. 'This breakthrough aims to address key challenges faced by farmers and enhance agricultural efficiency,' said Professor Dilip Kumar Pratihar. Under his leadership, a team of PhD and project students has successfully developed a semi-automatic tracked mobile manipulator cum agricultural robotic system. Recognizing its potential impact, an Indian patent has been granted to Professor Pratihar, Pradeep Nahak, Atanu Jana, and their team. The roots of this innovation trace back to 2018 when Prof Pratihar first introduced the concept during his invited lecture at the National Seminar on 'Trends and Applications of ICT in Agriculture (TRACT),' organized by C-DAC Kolkata. 'The diverse nature of agricultural terrains—neither entirely smooth nor completely rough—demands a unique solution. That's when I proposed the idea of a Tracked Mobile Manipulator, designed to adapt seamlessly to such environments. This system, equipped with a serial manipulator resembling a human arm, was envisioned to bring precision and intelligence to the field of agricultural robotics,' he said. While drone-based farming tools have gained popularity, they often face limitations in capturing clear images of plant leaves. The forced draught from their propellers tends to disturb the leaves, resulting in blurry or noisy data. To solve this, the IIT Kharagpur team developed a ground-based alternative. 'Addressing this gap with thoughtful precision, the team designed the Tracked Mobile Manipulator. Unlike aerial systems, this robot employs stable, camera-based image analysis to accurately detect plant diseases, followed by the targeted, automatic spraying of suitable pesticides,' the professor explained. The project has been supported by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, and the robot is being manufactured by the OEM TECHNIDO. It aims to reduce farmers' exposure to harmful chemicals, minimize crop loss, and improve food quality. With this innovation, India takes a bold leap toward a future where cutting-edge robotics and traditional farming wisdom come together. (The writer in an intern with the Indian Express)
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
IIT-Kgp robot to help keep your crop pest-free
Kharagpur: IIT Kharagpur 's mechanical engineering department has unveiled a robot that can identify plants with diseases and apply pesticides in farms. The team had earlier developed a railway track inspection robot. Apart from preventing crop losses, thereby enhancing yield, the Union ministry of electronics and information technology-funded project also aims to reduce farmers' health risks from manual pesticide spraying. Dilip Kumar Pratihar and his team of PhD and project students, including Pradeep Nahak and Atanu Jana, have developed the semi-automatic tracked mobile manipulator-cum-agricultural robotic system that has secured an Indian Patent for this intelligent system. The concept was initially introduced by Pratihar at a CDAC Kolkata National Seminar in 2018, titled "Trends and Applications of ICT in Agriculture (TRACT)". After receiving the funding the following year, a patent was filed in 2019, but was finally granted in 2024. "Considering the varied nature of agricultural terrain, we have developed a tracked mobile manipulator featuring a serial manipulator mounted on a tracked vehicle, designed for precise field operations. Unlike drone-based agricultural robots that struggle with image quality due to air disturbance, this ground-based system utilises camera-based image analysis for precise disease detection and automated pesticide application ," Pratihar said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like No dark spots, 10 years younger! Just take this from Guardian URUHIME MOMOKO Learn More Undo The robot, weighing 50 kg-60 kg can cover 3 m of farmland in a minute, stopping to inspect the condition of crops, assessing the kind of damage caused by pests by analysing a photo of the crop, selecting the type of pesticide required, operating a pump to spray the pesticide, and move ahead. The robot is capable of carrying three types of pesticide in three tanks of 4-litre capacity each. The AI robot can rotate 360° and spray the chemicals all around. It is fitted with a battery that can last 1.5 hours when fully charged.
Hans India
15-05-2025
- Science
- Hans India
IIT Kharagpur's new smart tracked robot detects crop disease, sprays pesticide
New Delhi: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur have developed a smart tracked robot that can detect crop diseases and spray pesticides to boost farming. The semi-automatic tracked mobile manipulator cum agricultural robotic system has been successfully designed and developed by a group of students at the Institute's Mechanical Engineering Department. The intelligent robotic system aims to address the recurring challenges faced by farmers in identifying plant diseases and ensuring appropriate and safe pesticide application. Recognising that agricultural terrains are neither completely smooth nor entirely rough, Prof. Dilip Kumar Pratihar, who led the research, proposed a tracked mobile manipulator as the ideal solution. 'This system features a serial manipulator, resembling a human hand, mounted on a tracked vehicle -- designed specifically for field navigation and precision tasks,' Pratihar said. While drone-based agricultural robots have gained popularity, they struggle to capture high-quality images of plant leaves due to the forced draught created during flight, resulting in noisy data. 'This tracked mobile manipulator could be used to serve numerous purposes in the agricultural field, such as plant health monitoring, plant disease identification, pesticide spraying, fruit or vegetables harvesting, etc,' the researchers mentioned in the paper, presented during the 2021 IEEE 18th India Council International Conference (INDICON) organised by IIT Guwahati. The newly developed ground-based tracked mobile manipulator uses camera-based image analysis for accurate disease detection, followed by automatic spraying of the appropriate pesticide. The robotic system, funded by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, not only aims to reduce the health risks faced by farmers during manual pesticide spraying, but also significantly enhances food quality and agricultural productivity. By minimising crop loss due to diseases, it supports improved yield and cost efficiency, contributing positively to the nation's GDP, the Institute said.
