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:

1. Hardware Design: How I designed the custom PCB libraries in Altium.

2. Logic & Control: Diving into the ESP32 code and sensor fusion.

3. 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.