DoST showcases AI innovations
Data from plants being monitored are then collected, and made accessible through a web platform, with proposed AI-related uses for the data.
The Department of Science and Technology has presented Philippine-made, artificial intelligence-powered innovations to scientists at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2023) in Las Vegas, Nevada recently.
The innovations showcased, developed by the agency’s Advance Science and Technology Institute, include ROAMER (Robot for Optimized and Autonomous Mission-Enhancement Response), an automated robot that can monitor plants and detect plant diseases in order to aid farmers; Gul. AI, a plant growing system that uses sensors to monitor plants, and collect data that can be accessed online; and DATOS (Remote Sensing and Data Science), an engine that analyzes geospatial data for disaster riskreduction and agricultural purposes.
ROAMER is being designed to autonomously go around plantations, and using AI, identify which plants may have a disease to prevent further spread.
Currently, the pilot study for the project is being conducted with a partner banana plantation in Mindanao.
The Science department said that, the wheeled robot hopes to alleviate manpower issues related to monitoring plantations.
The project began in June 2021, with a budget of P24.7 million, with implementation expected in June 2024.
Furthermore, the Gul.AI project aims to encourage the youth to learn about crop farming and technology, through a plant box with sensors that measure various information, the department added.
“Data from plants being monitored are then collected, and made accessible through a web platform, with proposed AI-related uses for the data,” DoST said.
The data is analyzed to see which parameters work best for a certain plant, building a knowledge database that can potentially be applied to future farming.
Moreover, the Science department said that DATOS represents a consolidation of various DoST efforts, with a primary goal of collecting relevant disaster information, and its dissemination to relevant agencies.