Robotics Researchers at the University of Lincoln are hosting a machine learning and computer vision competition to devise intelligent ways to find the “best” poinsettia. We will be looking at the height of the plant, colour of the leaves, and “bushiness” among other attributes.

This work will contribute towards building an image recognition system and help robots distinguish between healthy and unhealthy plants.

Professor Elizabeth Sklar, Head of Research at Lincoln Agri-Robotics said ‘We are really grateful to Bridge Farm Group, the leading producer of ornamental plants, flowers and herbs in the UK who have allowed us to visit their poinsettia farm in Spalding, Lincolnshire to collect some images and data from a commercial setting to support this event for students.’

How to join in and share your photos?

We need a variety of images showing healthy and not so healthy poinsettias in different growing environments. Please visit this link to sign up and submit your photos!

As a gesture of appreciation, participants will have the opportunity to claim a free bag of bird seed in conjunction with Vine House Farm.