Date of Award

Spring 2025

Document Type

Thesis

Publisher

Santa Clara : Santa Clara University, 2025

Departments

Computer Science and Engineering; Mechanical Engineering

First Advisor

Michael Neumann

Second Advisor

Christopher Kitts

Abstract

The current commercial agriculture market reveals two significant gaps: one for small-scale farmers needing automation, and another for the efficient planting of seedlings. Acquiring large-scale automated equipment is often impractical for small-scale farmers due to high costs and the mismatch between commercial-scale solutions and the needs of smaller operations, creating a need for accessible robotic solutions. The Seedling Planting and Robotic Observation with Unsupervised Tracking (SPROUT) design addresses this gap by developing an autonomous seedling planting attachment for the Agriculture robot (Agbot) platform - a modular agricultural robot developed by Santa Clara University (SCU). This year’s work involved designing and prototyping a system that automates the transplanting process using simple mechanisms. Informed by field testing and stakeholder interviews, the system prioritizes low cost, ease of use, and integration with existing farm practices. In parallel, the project explored the potential for future adaptation to reforestation, particularly in post-wildfire landscapes where labor and accessibility challenges also hinder seedling planting. Although reforestation was not a primary focus this year, the modularity and autonomous functionality of SPROUT make it a strong candidate for ecological restoration in future development cycles. Successful planting tests and health monitoring using onboard computer vision demonstrate the system’s viability as a precision tool for underserved farming operations. This paper outlines the design evolution, prototyping milestones, and test results, showing that SPROUT provides a promising foundation for agricultural automation and future environmental recovery efforts.

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