By Blake Jackson
Visitors attending Penn State’s Ag Progress Days, scheduled for August 11-13, will get an up-close look at the future of farming through the debut of the FIRA Robotics Village East Coast.
The new exhibit will showcase advanced agricultural robotics and automation designed to help farmers address labor shortages, improve operational efficiency, and support long-term sustainability.
The FIRA Robotics Village is a collaborative effort involving Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, GOFAR—a global accelerator for agricultural robotics and organizer of FIRA USA—and the Robotics Factory, Innovation Works’ robotics accelerator based in Pittsburgh.
Located near the Exhibit Building on West 5th Street at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center in Rock Springs, the exhibit will feature robotic technologies for dairy farming, specialty crops, forestry, greenhouse operations, and field crop production.
Demonstrations will include an autonomous robot capable of carrying, towing, or following workers with materials, along with a robotic system designed to harvest tomatoes.
“One of the biggest challenges for robotics startups is getting new technologies in front of the people who can benefit from them most,” said Kevin Dowling, managing director of the Robotics Factory at Innovation Works.
“The FIRA Robotics Village allows innovators to demonstrate real-world solutions, gather valuable feedback from producers and build the partnerships needed to move promising technologies from development to deployment at scale.”
“The FIRA Robotics Village reflects the future of agriculture and Penn State’s commitment to bringing together research, innovation and industry to address global challenges,” said Gretta Tritch Roman, senior director of research development and initiatives in the college.
“By connecting farmers, researchers, technology developers and ecosystem partners, we are creating opportunities to accelerate solutions that improve agricultural productivity, sustainability and resilience while strengthening the workforce for generations to come.”
The event also will feature presentations, expert panels, university research talks, and company pitch sessions focused on agricultural robotics.
“Growers are looking for reliable, field-ready solutions that truly address their operational challenges,” said Maialen Cazenave, co-director of GOFAR.
“The key is not more technology, but the right matchmaking, connecting the right solutions to the right needs to accelerate real adoption and impact in the field.”
Ag Progress Days is free to attend, including parking, and will be held at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center near State College, Pennsylvania.
Photo Credit: penn-state
Categories: Pennsylvania, Business, Equipment & Machinery, General