Zerlina Huang, SEAS ’27, Ridgewood, NJ
This summer, I had the opportunity to dive deep into the world of precision agriculture at the Kumar Lab, working on the BEAST robot as part of the IoT4Ag program. Having been involved with this project for several months, this summer has been an incredible experience, allowing me to learn more about and contribute towards the future of agricultural robotics. The BEAST robot, designed to enhance precision in farming practices, collects information about crop conditions.
At the start of the summer, I immersed myself in learning about the BEAST robot’s hardware and software. My focus was on redesigning the robot’s body and building more replicas of it for multi-robot experimentation.
One of the highlights of my summer was working on a specific project related to optimizing the BEAST robot’s navigation in diverse agricultural environments. This involved programming an collision avoidance simulation in python that integrated the robot’s ability to detect and avoid obstacles with its navigational routing goals.
I also engaged in field testing, where I had the chance to see the BEAST robot in action. This was part of training its deep learning algorithm. Additionally, observing the robot in action allowed me to fine tune the collision avoidance program to its real world behaviors.
Throughout the summer, I was able to apply theoretical knowledge from my coursework to practical challenges, which was both exciting and rewarding. I participated in brainstorming sessions, contributed to refining the robot, and presented our progress to the lab team. It was a fulfilling experience to see our collective efforts translate into tangible improvements in the BEAST robot.
As I look forward to the next phase of my work at the Kumar Lab, I am excited to build on the knowledge and skills I’ve acquired and contribute further to the development of cutting-edge solutions in precision agriculture.
This is part of a series of posts by recipients of the 2024 Career Services Summer Funding Grant. We’ve asked funding recipients to reflect on their summer experiences and talk about the industries in which they spent their summer. You can read the entire series here
