Ag Tech Robotics Challenge at CEI shows students the future of farming
Published at
IDAHO FALLS — Students from several east Idaho high schools and middle schools participated Thursday in College of Eastern Idaho’s first-ever Ag Tech Robotics Challenge.
Dozens of students from Aberdeen High School, Aberdeen Middle School and Teton High School in Driggs came together for a hands-on competition focused on agriculture technology, coding and problem-solving. With a total of seven challenges, the students were divided into groups with the goal of completing as many challenges as possible in three hours. A team of judges evaluated their work and awarded prizes at the end of the day.
Heidi Codling, CEI’s agriculture technology instructor, tells EastIdahoNews.com that one of the challenges involved learning how to survey a field using GPS mapping. Another group analyzed data gathered from a drone used for crop dusting to come up with a solution to a specific issue.
The goal of the competition, according to a news release from CEI, was to “introduce students to emerging careers in precision agriculture and agricultural technology.” It also gave students an opportunity to tackle real-world farming scenarios using AgXRP robots.
“Part of the competition (was designed to) help them learn how to program and use these robots. It senses when a plant needs water and automatically turns on to water the plants,” Codling says.
Tom Jacobsen, a horticulture instructor at the University of Idaho who used to write weekly “In the Garden” columns for EastIdahoNews.com, designed the robots about three years ago. He put together kits that students can assemble and has spent the last several years showing students how they work. He gave us a demonstration, which you can watch in the video above.
Codling says the students started the day with a presentation about projects they completed with the robots. They discussed how they were used and what they learned. Jacobsen is hoping to expand on his design and improve its functionality and usability in future models.
Over the last two years, Codling says they’ve been looking at ways to better teach robotics in the classroom. After learning about the AgXRP robots, Codling and her team determined that hosting a competition was a good way to introduce the idea to people.
As we spoke, Codling seemed overjoyed to see these students participate in the challenge. She’s passionate about agriculture and the opportunities available to students today because of technology.
As many raise concerns about artificial intelligence eliminating jobs, Codling expresses excitement about its ability to enhance human efforts in the ag industry.
“Quite honestly, AI is probably going to replace the jobs that no one wanted anyway,” says Codling. “Some dairies are having a hard time finding people to work for them. No one wants to get up at 4 a.m. and milk the cows.”
Codling says milking the cows is something that AI can be programmed to do.
Another purpose of Thursday’s challenge was to help promote CEI’s new agriculture technology program. It will launch this fall and eventually be housed in the Battelle Energy Alliance Future Tech Building, which is slated for completion in 2027.
Codling says she’s excited for this program and is grateful to those who participated in the Ag Tech Robotics Challenge. She’s hoping to make it an annual event.
“It’s exciting to see people come and participate,” Codling says. “We’re looking at holding the next one at a different time of year so it’s not right at the end of the school year and in the middle of (growing season).”