News

Merging technology and agriculture

The 2016 agBOT Challenge is on.  It’s a competition designed to identify and commercialize innovative agriculture technologies to improve work on the farm.

Competition organizer Steve Gerrish, CEO of Indiana-based airBridge, an agricultural mobile broadband communications company, says over the next year – teams will take technology used in ag and other industries to the next level.  “If we relaly looked at what we could do to accelerate innovation on the farm, and we look at the intersection of robotics, high bandwidth mobile broadband, analytics, and algarhythm, that can help us understand what we’re doing on the farm better,” he says.  “We might rapidly advance our abilities on the farm.”

Gerrish tells Brownfield it’s important for the industry and the competition to look beyond traditional agricultural students.  “We would hope that the ag community can see what these young folks could do,” he says.  “Especially in software, IT, and robotics.  And think about what they could bring to agriculture that we might not have time to do.”

Additional challenges are also set for 2017 and 2018.  He says cash prizes will be awarded, but more importantly, if teams design an innovative product with practical use, there is potential for commercialization.

Applications for teams are currently being accepted.  A link to more information can be found HERE.