Southern Illinois University Carbondale reported on September 24 that Billy Ram and doctoral researcher Samuel Singh are developing robotic sensing for soybean disease detection. Their work targets frogeye leaf spot in research fields at University Farms.
The team initially collected aerial multispectral and hyperspectral imagery. Those views did not adequately reveal lesions underneath leaves or farther down the plant, prompting development of a battery-powered ground robot. GPS, multiple cameras and a mapped row-following mode support observation from different viewpoints.
The research, supported through the Illinois Soybean Center, aims to produce disease maps that could guide localized fungicide treatment. At the announcement date, development of the required AI models remained ongoing. Early detection before visible symptoms is a stated ambition, not a demonstrated performance result here. The team hopes manufacturers could adapt the technology into tractor or sprayer attachments.
