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Michigan State University researchers have received a nearly $1 million grant to develop a 3D fruit tree that can be used to predict tree growth and architecture, among other things, to help farmers deal with climate change, MLive.com reports.
"Extreme weather events are becoming more common, and digital twins can help growers combat the changes," says Daniel Uyeh, who's developing the tree with Daniel Morris and Jacquelyn Perkins.
Their project is one of three funded by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development's Farm Innovation Grant Program, which aims to "develop and support innovative solutions to real, immediate, and future farm problems facing Michigan's food and agricultural industry," the department says in a press release.
The other two projects involve researchers developing an electric tractor-based autonomous system for precision vegetable production, and developing a 3D fruit tree that can be used to predict tree growth and architecture, among other things.
The researchers will also design AI-enhanced digital twin software to utilize real-time data and continuously refine the information with live orchard dynamics.
They plan to modify the existing electric tractor technology and apply machine vision and artificial intelligence to enable high-precision farming operations.
The project will host field days to showcase the research findings and provide hands-on learning
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Social Entrepreneurs to Get Free WiFi Access
iPass, a telecommunications provider, will give free internet access to 100 non-government organizations (NGOs) for a year as they work in dangerous countries to help its poor and underserved populations.