2007 Research and Design Website Challenge
“Feeding the World - Saving the Environment”
Humans need food to survive. Think about how many pizzas your Botball® team consumed the week before the tournament!
Could robots be the answer to the world’s growing problems with hunger? Do you know how robots are currently being used in agriculture? Could robots make agriculture more productive while being eco-friendly?
These are the kinds of questions that Botball® teams confronted in the 2007 year Research and Design Website Challenge. As usual, the competition was fierce, and the judges had a hard row to hoe in choosing the best.
High School Division Winners | |
| 1st Place |
07-0010 Xavier High School
|
|---|---|
| 2nd Place |
07-0014 Notre Dame Preparatory School
|
| 3rd Place | 07-0183 Parkway North High School |
| Honorable Mention | 07-0129 Lockheed Martin Exploring Program |
| Honorable Mention | 07-0071 Newman Smith High School |
Middle School Division Winners | |
| 1st Place (tie) |
07-0047 Lincoln Big Cat Bots
|
|---|---|
| 1st Place (tie) |
07-0003 DeWitt Perry Middle School
|
| 2nd Place | 07-0001 DeWitt Perry Middle School |
| Honorable Mention | 07-0022 Highlands Intermediate |
| Honorable Mention | 07-0002 DeWitt Perry Middle School |
The Challenge
Since the first settlers came to America, farming has been a crucial element of the United States economy. During the colonial days, “9 out of 10 working persons were employed on a farm”. [1] This is certainly not the case in 21st century farming. “Today only 3 percent of our labor force produces enough food and fiber to meet domestic needs as well as supplying about 10 percent of total overseas consumption.” [1] Today’s modern farmer has to be as familiar with advances in the farming industry as they are with world events. “Today’s farmers often incorporate the latest breakthroughs in science and technology into their farming practices.” [2] But at what cost? With the increase in efficiency has come an increase is the use of pesticides, fertilizers, and farm machinery. “To survive humans need food. Healthy food needs a healthy eco-system balance within an unpolluted air, water and soil system.” [3] Could robots be the answer?
Researchers at the University of Illinois might say, “Yes”. University of Illinois agricultural engineers are currently working on a number of different agricultural robotic projects. “Eventually these robots could be equipped to perform duties, such as detecting disease, weeds or insects, sampling soil or even applying pesticides.” [4] When labor is sufficiently plentiful and cheap and the workers can work in the dark, do not need rest breaks, etc, then you can do all sorts of things that factory farms never do.
Questions for thought:
- How are robots currently being used in agriculture?
- How could they be used to help reduce the use of pesticides, fertilizers, water, and decrease the problem of invasive species?
- How could they make agriculture more productive while being eco-friendly?
Your Challenge:
- Describe the current state of robotics in regards to agriculture. Provide a brief historical overview of significant trends.
- Robots can potentially be a source of inexpensive labor for doing dull, dirty and possibly dangerous jobs. How can we leverage these capabilities to better produce food when and where it is needed, at low cost, while minimizing the negative effects on the environment?
- Describe the future direction of this technology and why it is important.
- Explain what has to be done to get there.
- What kind of tasks might future agrobots need to perform?
- What features will these robots have to have?
- What technology (or cost) advances are needed?
- Present your ideas and designs for creating a robot that might be used in modern agriculture. Keep the requirements you outlined above in mind when making your designs - and try to back up your assertions with data and facts.
Bibliography:
[1] http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/facts-slides-self/facts/mod-ag-grw85.html
[2] http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2005/spring/art02.htm
[3] http://www.equalearth.org/agriculturepollution.htm
[4] http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/news/stories/news2813.html