New Carnegie Mellon research project uses AI to optimise Qatar farming

New Carnegie Mellon research project uses AI to optimise Qatar farming

* Grant from Qatar National Research Fund will help develop next-generation greenhouse technology

Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q), a Qatar Foundation partner university, is launching a new research project that will optimize the operations of greenhouses in Qatar. The project is supported by a National Priorities Research Programme grant from Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF).

Lead principal investigator Gianni Di Caro is an associate teaching professor of computer science at CMU-Q. An expert in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, Di Caro will use machine learning (ML) to co-ordinate a fleet of mobile robots to autonomously gather visual data of Qatar greenhouse plants. The team will also employ AI and ML to build predictive models about the crop’s development status, quality, health and expected yield.

Di Caro said, “This research will empower the management of greenhouses with advanced tools so they precisely know what’s going on and what will happen in crop’s development.”

The robots will have RGB and multi-spectral cameras that will monitor each plant, and even each individual fruit, over time.

“By processing this visual data using AI, we can detect the presence of disease or pests, monitor plant development, and eventually optimise the conditions for growth and harvesting,” said Di