HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hawaii-born researcher Kyle Yoshida believes he can help revitalize agriculture in his home state by putting robots to work on farms to harvest fruits and vegetables.
He says it is a recipe for success.
“What if we could automate some of these processes to reduce labor costs, reduce dependence on labor, and thus reduce the overall price of your goods,” he said.
The 2014 graduate of the Kamehameha Schools holds a degree from Harvard and a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Stanford. He received a prestigious Washington Research Foundation grant that will fund his design and development of a robotic arm and gripper that could put Hawaii at the forefront of cost-effective agriculture.
“Hawaii can be a leader in creating new innovations and inventions that can be used anywhere in the world,” he said.
Other startups and small companies are working on similar projects, but their robots could cost up to $50,000. His robot would cost a farmer about $1,000 and drastically reduce his labor costs.
There are other tasks that robots could perform to maximize a farm’s yield.
“For example, robots can be used when it rains to take samples of different nutrient compositions and see if we should change the water flow,” Yoshida said.
His goal is to help Hawaii grow more of its own food and create a reliable source of affordable produce.
“When I look at agriculture today, when we go to a grocery store, a lot of things are imported. Even things that we would expect to be grown locally are actually imported to a large extent,” he said.
He is working on his agricultural robotics research at Washington State University and plans to continue it in his position as an adjunct professor at UCLA.
He also helped found a nonprofit organization called Honua Scholars, which encourages Hawaii’s youth to pursue STEM careers that benefit the state.
“I have to give a huge shout out to my science fair teacher, Miss Ishimoto, who really put me on the path of scientific research, enabled me to participate in these state science fairs, and was the foundation for my current career,” he said.
Yoshida recently tested his robot prototype in Hawaii. Only time will tell when his robot will be ready for work on the farm, he says.
“I’m very optimistic about the future. I think there’s a lot of potential for growth. I think working with the community and different farmers will be a key component,” he said.
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