WheatScan: Tractor-mount sensing for precision application of Nitrogen and control of milling wheat protein content.

该项目汇集了农学研究，快速蛋白质测定碾磨小麦，与光子传感器，图像识别和机电一体化系统的工程。最终目标是提供一个拖拉机安装的扫描单元，用于在整个麦田中自动绘制蛋白质含量图，在全田间施用速度（17公里/小时）下的空间分辨率优于2平方米，用于精确施用氮（N）。氮素是小麦生产中的主要投入成本，占碳足迹的80%，但在3/4的情况下，氮素过量施用。该系统将使种植者能够动态绘制作物冠层中的蛋白质分布图，以便所有区域都达到13%的蛋白质含量阈值。由500名种植者组成的塞恩斯伯里“Camgrain联盟”将作为可改造系统的早期采用者，该系统将采用高速红外光子学中的新兴技术，通过快速嵌入式图像处理在微型机器人万向节上进行控制。

The project brings together agronomy research, on rapid protein assays for milling wheat, with engineering of photonic sensors, image recognition & mechatronic systems. The ultimate goal is to deliver a tractor-mount scanning unit for autonomous mapping of protein content across wheat fields, to a spatial resolution better than 2 square metres at full field application speeds (17km/hr) for precision application of nitrogen (N). N is the primary input cost and 80% of the carbon footprint, in milling wheat production, however it is over applied in 3 out of 4 cases. This system will enable growers to dynamically map protein distribution in the crop canopy so that all areas attain the threshold 13% protein content. The Sainsbury's 'Camgrain Consortium' of 500 growers will act as early adopters for the retrofittable system, which will incorporate emerging technologies in high-speed infrared photonics, steered on a miniature robotic gimbal through rapid embedded image processing.