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Vehicle Robotics Lab
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A lab that transforms agriculture through robots such as unmanned tractors and the power of information.
AboutAbout the lab
Bringing innovation to agriculture through robotics and ICT.
The Vehicle Robotics Lab studies the robotization of agricultural machinery such as unmanned tractors, as well as the digitalization of agricultural information.
In Japanese agriculture, labor shortages caused by the aging of the farming workforce and other factors have become serious.
Through robotization, and through digitalization that turns the expert skills of veteran farmers into data that can be put to use, the lab aims to bring innovation to agriculture through "smart agriculture."
The lab's research uses not only vehicles that run on the ground, but also drones in the sky and satellites.
Key terms
- Machine vision
- Technology that processes camera images with a computer so that a machine can recognize the position and shape of objects
- Quasi-Zenith Satellite
- A positioning satellite whose orbit is designed to stay near the point directly above Japan for a long time. It is known by the name "Michibiki"
- Hyperspectral camera
- A camera that can split light into fine wavelengths and capture each one. It can examine the condition of crops in more detail than differences in color alone
ResearchResearch themes
The lab researches smart agriculture technologies from two sides: the robotization of agricultural machinery and the digitalization of agricultural information. It also works on remote sensing with drones and satellites, and on developing vehicles powered by electric vehicle batteries.
*Illustrative imageAutonomous driving of robotic agricultural machinery
The lab robotizes agricultural machinery such as tractors, rice transplanters, and combine harvesters. It studies unmanned, autonomous driving using machine vision and positioning satellites, as well as cooperative work by multiple robots. It also aims to improve accuracy using the quasi-zenith satellite system "Michibiki."
*Illustrative imageRobot arms for harvesting
This is research on manipulator robots with arms and hands. The lab aims to robotize the harvesting of heavy vegetables, which is physically demanding work, and to expand the tasks that mobile agricultural robots can perform by adding arms and hands to them.
*Illustrative imageRobots that patrol the field
Using robot tractors that drive autonomously, the lab studies sensing technologies that measure the condition of fields. In recent years, it has been developing systems and nighttime sensing methods that use hyperspectral cameras, a special type of camera.
*Illustrative imageTurning agricultural information into data
Using information such as weather and work records, the lab aims to make the expert skills of veteran farmers easy for anyone to use.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Vehicle Robotics Lab consist of faculty, postdoctoral researchers, JSPS Research Fellows, administrative assistants, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2025
- ProfessorNoboru Noguchi
- Associate ProfessorYang Yang
- Assistant ProfessorRicardo Ospina
- Project Assistant ProfessorYoshitomo Yamasaki
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Agricultural drone spraying on paddy field” Shreesha Sharma / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Autonomous driving of robotic agricultural machinery: “Vitoria - Tractor 01” Basotxerri / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Robot arms for harvesting: “Robot Arm (NIH BioArt 457)” Courtesy of NIAID Ryan Kissinger / Public domain (cropped)
- Robots that patrol the field: “Agricultural art” Antarsih / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Turning agricultural information into data: “Weather station in field east of Low Common Lane - geograph.org.uk - 3403607” Evelyn Simak / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Agricultural Engineering Lab): “Rural seanery of Ogata Villaege 20200906” 掬茶 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Circular Agricultural Systems Engineering Lab): “Biochar pile” Oregon Department of Forestry / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Ecological Environmental Physics Lab): “Kushiro Marsh, Shibecha” Kzaral / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Soil Conservation Lab): “Soil Profile Containing an Argillic Horizon” Cjrufe / CC0 (cropped)
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