Lie Tang’s research in field robotics offers a glimpse into the future of organic agriculture.
Tang, an associate professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, develops robotics technologies for intra-row weed removal in vegetable crops. He hopes that by perfecting this technology, he can design an automated robot to lower the level of labor and chemical inputs in small to mid-sized growing operations for farmers who are looking for environmentally friendly weeding alternatives.
Tang, a native of China, was drawn to Iowa State University in 2004 by the reputation of the agricultural and biosystems engineering department as being on the forefront of agricultural innovation. “This is one of the best places in the world for agricultural robotics and automation,” he says.
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