Bioproduction Systems Engineering
Development of bio-production machines and facilities, and robot use
Staff
Research Topics
In preparation for the serious labor shortages and other problems facing Japanese agriculture in the near future, our laboratory is focusing on the following subcategories, based on a system engineering approach. An agricultural robot contributes to the automation and labor saving of biological production. A plant factory proposes new agriculture in an optimal environment based on the measurement of living organisms. A smart agriculture is a navigation system based on big data such as farm environment and yield. Of course, we also deal with other agricultural issues in general.
Agricultural robot
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Expectations for agricultural robots are increasing as an ace card for labor shortage. The commercialization of robot tractors, rice transplanters, combine harvesters, etc. that support unmanned or highly advanced operations is already in the process of being introduced into the field. On the other hand, robots involved in the selective harvesting of fruits and vegetables are highly labor-saving and have great demand in the field, but many issues to be solved are remained. One of them is collaborative work with humans, and ensuring safety is especially important. |
Hand part of the tomato harvesting robot |
Plant factory
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Since it is a plant factory that controls the environment to produce, it also includes a greenhouse in a broad sense, and we have long been able to obtain fresh vegetables throughout the year by its benefits. The optimization of the environment, which has expanded the possibilities with artificial lighting and solution cultivation, is continuing to develop not only from the viewpoint of plant growth, but also from various viewpoints such as energy, the surrounding environment, the working environment and the production of useful substances. Moreover, not only plants but also mushrooms are subject to plant factories, and growth can be controlled depending on the environment. |
Production of different sizes fruits bodies by environmental control for fungus bed cultivation Shiitake |
Smart agriculture
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Smart agriculture includes the above-mentioned agricultural robots and plant factories, but the essence is to utilize information effectively. The focus has been mainly on information gathering as precision agriculture. However, it was difficult for humans to understand and utilize a huge amount of information. AI is good at associating this big data. But it is necessary to accurately raise problems and set goals in order for AI to play an active role. We intervene in problem interpretation for AI to solve. |
Visualization of water movement in the field after irrigation |
Publication List
- Koji OKADA，Kazuhiko NAMBA，Mitsuji MONTA, Yasuaki KASHINO, Optimization of the Lighting Environment in Sawdust-Based Shiitake Cultivation, ─Effect of Light Timing on Fruit Body Development During the Culture Stage─, Journal of the Japanese Society of Agricultural Machinery and Food Engineers, 82 (6), 642-649, 2020.
- Kenta SHIGEMATSU, Satoshi ONO, Sadayuki TAKAYAMA, Jun ENDO, Kazuhiko NAMBA, Development of High-Speed Ridge Forming Seeder for Soybeans, Adapted to Moist Soil Conditions─Seeding Performance of Prototype Seeder─, Journal of the Japanese Society of Agricultural Machinery and Food Engineers, 82 (6), 617-623, 2020.
- Shogo TSUBOTA, Kazuhiko NAMBA, Yasunaga. IWASAKI, Tokihiro FUKATSU, Hiroki NAITO, Tomohiko OTA, Biosensing Method of Growth Diagnosis in Forcing Culture of Strawberry─Biological Indicators for Evaluating Growth Inhibition under Low Temperatures─, Journal of the Japanese Society of Agricultural Machinery and Food Engineers, 82 (6), 642-649, 2020.
- Kenta SHIGEMATSU, Sadayuki TAKAYAMA, Kazuhiko NAMBA, Development of High Speed Ridge Forming Seeder for Soybeans Adapted to Moist Soil Conditions ―Investigations of Seeding Mechanism for Soybean Seeds Coated with Insecticide and Fungicide―, Journal of the Japanese Society of Agricultural Machinery and Food Engineers, 82 (2), 129-137, 2020.
- Kenta SHIGEMATSU, Yuichi YAMADA, Takashi GOTOH, Kazuhiko NAMBA, Development of High Speed Ridge Forming Seeder for Soybeans Adapting to Moist Soil Conditions ─Study of Disk Cultivation Ridging and Seeding Mechanism─, Journal of the Japanese Society of Agricultural Machinery and Food Engineers, 81 (2), 104-111, 2019.
- Yasuaki Kashino, Fumio Myokai, Kazuhiko Namba, Mitsuji Monta, Hiroshi Kanzaki, Development of Energy-saving Ventilation System Considering Inside and Outside Temperatures of a Sawdust-based Shiitake Cultivation Facility, Journal of the Japanese Society of Taste Technology, 16 (2), 4-12, 2018.
- Kumiko Fujii , Kazuhiko Namba , Naoko Matsumoto, Study of glutinous barley flour utilization for rice bread, The Reserch Sosiety for Science of Dietary Habits, 37 (3), 142-148, 2017.
- Yasuaki Kashino, Fumio Myokai, Kazuhiko Namba, Mitsuji Monta, Hiroshi Kanzaki, Effects of the Cultivation Stage Temperature and CO2 Concentration on the Sawdust-based Culture Shiitake Yield, Journal of the Japanese Society of Taste Technology, 15 (1), 5-11 2016.
- Kumiko Fujii, Kazuhiko Namba, Study of Bread Making Process Properties using Impact Crushing Milled Rice Flour ― Relativity of Physical Properties and Sensory Evaluation ―, Journal of the Japanese Society of Taste Technology, 14 (1), 19-27, 2015.
- Mitsuji Monta, Kazuhiko Namba, Mobile Quality Evaluation Robot for Making Agricultural Products Traceable, International Journal of Automation Technology, 8 (2), 238-242, 2014.