Greenville University students roll out prototype of crop-scanning rover

Published: July 11, 2025

Author: Dave Bell

The 3-foot-square green cube on wheels may look odd as it trundles back and forth in a bean field. But its developers are confident it will provide farmers with valuable information to boost their yields and maximize their profits.

The Autonomous Crop Surveying Rover, called AUTODOC, was designed by three Greenville University Department of Engineering students. Concept drawings were completed last fall, and a prototype was unveiled at GU’s Common Day of Scholarship on May 1.

Judson Page ’25, a design engineering major, was the rover project manager. He was supported by team members Thomas Fike ‘25, a software engineering major, and Rafael Gascon ‘25, a mechanical engineering major. Other students assisting with the project were Eowyn Dorethy, Macy Donoho, and Valerie Greenley.

“Our rover can improve farmers’ bottom lines by scanning soybean plant leaves to identify and locate nutrient deficiencies in a field,” Page said. “The data it collects will pinpoint specific parts of the field where nutrients are needed, thus saving the operator the expense of spraying the entire field.”

The rover also saves producers time by eliminating the need to walk through fields to identify crop problems. It navigates fields using cameras and Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. The battery-powered unit moves on two primary drive wheels and is stabilized by smaller wheels at each corner. As it travels through a field at 3 to 5 miles per hour, a spectrometer scans two rows of young plants to detect discolored leaves that indicate nutrient deficiencies. The rover is programmed to switch rows at the end of a field and return to a designated location once scanning is complete.

After their Common Day of Scholarship presentation, rover team members
discussed the rover project with professors. Their presentation included a
review of testing data and the unveiling of the autonomous rover.

“This device will enable the farmer to focus on other tasks while the rover scans the field,” Page added. “Then, when the scan is finished, they can address issues identified in specific areas of the field.”

His sentiments align with the rover’s mission as expressed by the GU team: “To empower farmers with precise, data-driven insights to optimize crop health, reduce waste, and enhance sustainable agricultural practices.”

The team spent the spring semester building the rover prototype, testing the scanning software, and conducting practice runs on young soybean plants they had grown from seeds. The unit will undergo additional field testing this summer to ensure its performance in real-world situations.

Page said the team plans to seek a patent for the rover and then market it to agricultural equipment manufacturers and at trade shows.

“This project didn’t stop at graduation,” he said. “We’ve completed the draft of our patent application and plan to submit that paperwork during the summer. We want to keep the momentum going.”

Members of the team that built the Autonomous Crop Surveying Rover
(AUTODOC) are pictured with the rover after their presentation at Greenville
University’s Common Day of Scholarship. The team members are, from left,
Judson Page, Thomas Fike, and Rafael Gascon.