🚀 Introducing AgriBot MK-1: The Future of Autonomous Weed Management
Hello world! I’m Chanuka, an NDT undergraduate in Electronics & Telecommunication at the University of Moratuwa.
As a student passionate about robotics and embedded systems, I’ve always wanted to build something that solves a real-world problem. That’s why my team and I created the AgriBot MK-1—an autonomous agriculture robot designed to revolutionize how we handle weed detection and management.
🌿 The Problem: The High Cost of Manual Weeding
In modern agriculture, weeding is one of the most labor-intensive and expensive tasks. Farmers often rely on heavy chemical usage or manual labor, both of which are unsustainable.
🤖 The Solution: AgriBot MK-1
The AgriBot MK-1 is our answer to these challenges. It’s a smart, autonomous platform designed to navigate farm rows, identify weeds, and manage them with precision.
Key Technical Features:
Brain: Powered by ESP32 and STM32 microcontrollers for high-speed processing and low power consumption.
Vision & Sensing: We are utilizing Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensors for obstacle avoidance and cameras for pattern recognition to identify weeds from crops.
Drive System: Precise movement using NEMA 17 stepper motors and custom-tuned motor drivers.
Custom Electronics: I’ve designed the core PCBs using Altium Designer to ensure a compact and reliable power management system (including our custom 5V regulator circuits).
🏆 Road to INCO 2026
I am incredibly proud to announce that the AgriBot MK-1 has been selected as a finalist in the robotics category for the INCO 2026 exhibition!
This has been a journey of late nights, PCB troubleshooting, and countless lines of code. Being recognized at such a prestigious level is a huge motivation for our team.
📅 What’s Next?
In the coming weeks, I’ll be posting a series of "Build Logs" here on this blog, covering:
Hardware Design: How I designed the custom PCB libraries in Altium.
Logic & Control: Diving into the ESP32 code and sensor fusion.
The Exhibition: A behind-the-scenes look at our preparation for INCO 2026.
Stay tuned for updates! If you're attending INCO 2026, come say hi and see the AgriBot MK-1 in action.