A team of computer science and mechanical engineering students from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities won the 2025 Excellence in Small Farm Technology award at the Farm Robotics Challenge, a national competition for college-level student teams tackling real-world agricultural problems using advanced robotics.
The University of Minnesota team’s design project, titled “FarmGuard’s Multi-Robot Deer Deterrence System,” aims to scare deer away from farms to prevent loss in crops.
The FarmGuard autonomous drone system helps farmers detect deer and deters them from eating the crops. This could increase the productivity of local farms, specifically targeting the needs of small, sustainable farms.
The FarmGuard drone uses onboard cameras and computer vision algorithms to detect deer in real-time, both day and night, and employs deterrents such as lights and speakers. It also uses optimized flight paths to maximize coverage while minimizing energy consumption. The team designed self-charging capabilities for continuous overnight protection.