Presentations

• “Development and Assessment of Lightweight Open-Source Robotic Arms” (poster) – AgriFoRwArdS CDT Annual Conference 2024: Robots in Action [July 2024] – Norwich, UK.
• “Interactive Perception: A heuristic approach to overcoming physical occlusions in tomato picking” (oral) – AgriFoRwArdS CDT Summer School: Robotic Phenotyping [July 2024] – Wageningen, The Netherlands.
• “Advancing Automation: Development and Assessment of Lightweight Open-Source Robotic Arms” (poster) – AgriFoRwArdS CDT Summer School: Robotic Phenotyping [July 2024] – Wageningen, The Netherlands.
• “The AgriFoRwArdS CDT Summer School – Interactive Perception (Theme 5)” (oral) – Towards Autonomous Robotic Systems (TAROS) 2024 [August 2024] – London, UK.

Activities and Outputs

• Represented the AgriFoRwArdS CDT at the University of Lincoln’s stand at CropTec 2023 – showcasing research and communicating with the public [November 2023] – Stoneleigh, UK.

About me

I have a master’s degree in mechanical engineering During my degree I studied sustainable initiative such as building an offgrid refrigeration system to assist farmers in rural Africa. However it was my experience in designing a fully automated vertical farm that sparked my interest in how technology can improve sustainability. This experience has motivated me to pursue further knowledge and its practical applications. The CDT is the perfect opportunity for me to deepen my expertise and contribute to sustainable agriculture.

I am excited to do my PhD at Cambridge University.

MSc Project

Advancing Automation: Development and Assessment of Lightweight Open-Source Robotic Arms

My research focuses on the development and evaluation of lightweight, open-source robotic arms for agriculture. The project aims to design a versatile and cost-effective robotic arm and asses its performance. I will complete a literature review to analyse current small open-source robotic arms to create an analyses on the best most effective arm. This will serve as a bases for other researchers to select the correct arm for their projects. I will then build a robotic arm and modify it to develop a better understanding of the technology.

PhD Project

Soft Gripper robot arm for vertical farm

This PhD project aims to develop a soft gripper robot arm for vertical farming, addressing the need for efficient and gentle crop handling. The project will design and fabricate a flexible gripper using durable materials, implement precise control systems with real-time sensor feedback, and integrate the robot within vertical farm environments. Machine learning will be used to optimize the robot’s efficiency. The project combines robotics, materials science, and AI to enhance vertical farming productivity, reduce labour costs, and minimize crop damage, ultimately contributing to sustainable and automated agricultural practices.

Catherine’s PhD project is being carried out in collaboration with Dyson Farming, under the primary supervision of Prof Fumiya Iida.