Department of Applied Computing Mechatronics/MERET tenure-track faculty candidate Syed Ahmed will give a research presentation on Thursday, April 18, 2024, at 9:30 am in Fisher 325.
The title of Ahmed’s presentation is, “Development and Optimal Control of Autonomous Robotic System for Smart Agriculture.”
Also on April 18, in Fisher 325 , faculty are invited to visit with Ahmed from 11 am-12 pm, and students may visit with Ahmed from 8:30-9:30 am.
Presentation Abstract
Conducting inspections in agriculture and plant cultivation poses inherent challenges requiring both precision and expertise. Numerous complexities are associated with accurate and optimal plant inspection and seeding process. The use of robotic system is a viable alternate for operating in such environment, offer a solution by enabling high-quality plant inspection and precise plantation tasks. The robotic system address issues related to labor availability and costs, thereby enhancing production efficiency, product quality, and overall profitability and for specialty crop industries.
In recent years, significant research efforts have been directed toward the field of agricultural robotics. However, progress has been notably slow, and the outcomes have not adequately addressed industry requirements. This research endeavor is specifically focused on the design, development, and optimal control of an innovative and cost-effective robotic system tailored for plant inspection. The system also exhibits the unique capability of conducting nondestructive quality inspections of fruits and vegetables during postharvest process.
The research project aims to incorporate inventive concepts and designs, complemented by an efficient control system, in the development of this advanced autonomous robotic platform. Furthermore, the implementation of a newly developed sensor fusion and artificial intelligence-based optimal control algorithm will enhance the accuracy and precision of the developed autonomous robotic system. This improvement is particularly pronounced in non-destructive plant inspection and seeding processes, contributing to significant reductions in labor and costs, heightened product quality, and decreased postharvest product losses.
Candidate Bio
Dr. Syed Faiz Ahmed has more than 19 years of teaching, research and industrial experience, including 13 years of post-PhD experience in engineering and research universities with diverse working experience in different countries including USA, UK, Singapore, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Gulf region. Dr. Syed Ahmed has expertise in Mechatronic Systems, Unmanned Autonomous Systems, Robotic Systems, Industrial Automation & Controls, PLC, SCADA and HMI, Sensors and Instrumentations, and Control Systems. He completed his advanced research work in Mechatronic Systems and Doctorate (Ph.D.) degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. He secured several research grants from national and international funding agencies. He is a writer of four books and more than 110 research articles, which are published in SCI and SCOPUS Indexed with Impact factor journals and other IEEE and international conferences worldwide. Besides research and teaching, he has expertise in academic administration, including curriculum design, staring new programs (undergraduate and postgraduate level), policy and strategic making particularly with respect to academic quality assurance for accreditation purpose. He has experience in implementation of policies for measuring the Program Learning Outcome (POs) and Course Learning Outcome (LOs) according to OBE and ABET guidelines.