John Fulton, associate professor of biosystems engineering, is developing intelligent planter technology through an in-depth understanding of how individual planter row units and soil characteristics affect crop emergence and development. His automated, on-the-go system combines the use of actuators with prototype sensors to regulate individual planter row units, and helps determine soil moisture. The actuators will place crop seed at a target depth regardless of soil conditions, as well as control the amount of down force applied to maintain good contact between the row unit and soil without disrupting other seedlings. The technology responds to the variability in soil conditions that growers face during planting, and will allow farmers to increase their crop production through improved planter performance based on in-field conditions.
Recent Posts
AUBURN ENGINEERING NEWS
- #GINNing Podcast: Second-Hand Information July 11, 2025Simply put, Peden Jones believes in the human touch — and the almost-human, too.
- Auburn engineering doctoral student named 2025 Trailblazers in Engineering fellow July 10, 2025Olaniyi Afolayan, a doctoral student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has been selected as a 2025 fellow for the Trailblazers in Engineering (TBE) program, a national initiative supported by the National Science Foundation's Trailblazer Engineering Impact Award.
- CEE graduate students receive Dams Kim de Rubertis Student Scholarship July 10, 2025Brock Huner and Lili Rahimikhameneh, graduate students in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, were named finalists for a national scholarship aimed at developing practical solutions to design and construction challenges related to dams, levees and other water resources.