Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 2
Fanshawe College of Applied Arts & Technology
$65,915.00
Design extension, programming, implementation, and validation of an Organic Material soil testingrobot
FY 2016-17
Summary
Soil is a central part of Ontario's agricultural ecosystem and maintaining organic soil health is critical to thedevelopment of a productive and healthy agricultural sector. Productive agricultural soil in Ontario has betweenthree to nine percent organic matter and continual testing and analysis of the SOM is important in cropproduction and nutrient management. Soil samples for nutrient management plans must be analyzed at anOntario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) accredited lab, using OMAFRAaccredited tests. There are seven accredited laboratories in Ontario. A&L Canada Laboratories Inc. is one of theseven firms serving the over 57,000 farms in Ontario; to meet its current need of 5,000 samples/day A&L iscollaborating with Fanshawe College and the School of Applied Science & Technology (AST) to design andbuild an industrial robot (prototype) that is capable of processing not only their current volume of organic soiltests, but one that will be able to accommodate up to 20,000 samples/day. This current ARD proposal is aimedat acquiring funding to expand upon A&L's recent connection (funded through the Engage program) toFanshawe College, developing a mutually beneficial partnership to finalize and expand the original design aswell as to program, integrate, implement, and assess the organic soil sampling robotic cell. PI Zhang will bejoined by Dr. Guo who will lead the Human Machine Interface (HMI) design and data team, and finallyProfessor Bruce Steers will lead students in the creation, commissioning, and installation of tabling, guarding,effectors, and controls. This work will help A&L further its competitive advantage provincially, federally, andinternationally, allowing them to increase the number of samples they are able to currently process in a day aswell as re-resource labor assets within the company to help improve inefficiencies in other areas.
Program
Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 2
Location
Ontario, Canada
Recipient Type
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
As published
Application id
501320-2016
Name nom
Douglas, Daniel
Department département
Head Office
Organization id
23818
Institution établissement
Fanshawe College of Applied Arts & Technology
Province en
Ontario
Province fr
Ontario
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2016
Competition year année de concours
2016
Award amount
65915
Program id
CARD2
Program name en
Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 2
Program name fr
Subventions de recherche et développement appliquée - niveau 2
Group en
Research partnerships programs
Group fr
Programmes de partenariat
Committee code
1561
Committee name en
Applied Research and Development Grants
Committee name fr
Subventions de recherche et développement appliquée
Area of application code
100
Area of application group en
Agriculture and primary food production
Area of application group fr
Agriculture et produits alimentaires primaires
Area of application en
Agriculture and primary food production
Area of application fr
Agriculture et produits alimentaires primaires
Research subject code
2601
Research subject group en
Robotics
Research subject group fr
Robotique
Research subject en
Robotic control
Research subject fr
Systèmes de commande
Partie
1
Nb partie
1
Application title
Design extension, programming, implementation, and validation of an Organic Material soil testingrobot
Keyword
NSERC
Application summary
Soil is a central part of Ontario's agricultural ecosystem and maintaining organic soil health is critical to thedevelopment of a productive and healthy agricultural sector. Productive agricultural soil in Ontario has betweenthree to nine percent organic matter and continual testing and analysis of the SOM is important in cropproduction and nutrient management. Soil samples for nutrient management plans must be analyzed at anOntario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) accredited lab, using OMAFRAaccredited tests. There are seven accredited laboratories in Ontario. A&L Canada Laboratories Inc. is one of theseven firms serving the over 57,000 farms in Ontario; to meet its current need of 5,000 samples/day A&L iscollaborating with Fanshawe College and the School of Applied Science & Technology (AST) to design andbuild an industrial robot (prototype) that is capable of processing not only their current volume of organic soiltests, but one that will be able to accommodate up to 20,000 samples/day. This current ARD proposal is aimedat acquiring funding to expand upon A&L's recent connection (funded through the Engage program) toFanshawe College, developing a mutually beneficial partnership to finalize and expand the original design aswell as to program, integrate, implement, and assess the organic soil sampling robotic cell. PI Zhang will bejoined by Dr. Guo who will lead the Human Machine Interface (HMI) design and data team, and finallyProfessor Bruce Steers will lead students in the creation, commissioning, and installation of tabling, guarding,effectors, and controls. This work will help A&L further its competitive advantage provincially, federally, andinternationally, allowing them to increase the number of samples they are able to currently process in a day aswell as re-resource labor assets within the company to help improve inefficiencies in other areas.
