Sensing, Mobility, Autonomy, and Inclusive Innovation for Field Robotics and Smart Agriculture
Principal Organizer:
IEEE Agricultural Robotics and Automation Technical Committee (AgRA TC)
Date
6 Oct 2026 · Sydney
5 Oct 2026 · New York
Format
Global · Distributed Online
Network
Local Hubs · Regional Sessions
1
Background
With the encouragement and support of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (IEEE RAS), this activity provides an open international platform for agricultural robotics and smart agriculture. Guided by IEEE’s commitment to serving society and Inclusive Innovation, the event promotes knowledge sharing, research collaboration, and engagement of young researchers and students through invited talks, technical discussions, student lightning presentations, and Local Hub activities, while fostering a sustainable international network.
2
Overall Program — Global Relay Schedule
Each regional session is approximately 60 minutes, featuring 2 keynote / invited talks (about 15 minutes each), up to 5 student lightning presentations (about 3 minutes each), followed by Q&A and discussion.
| Sydney Time (AEDT) | Regional Hub | Corresponding Local Time | Activity | Coordinator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08:10–08:15 | Global | — | Introduction and Opening Remarks | Yongliang Qiao; Hugo Rodrigue |
| 08:15–09:15 | Australia | Sydney: 08:15–09:15, 6 Oct | Australia Hub Session |
Daobilige Su · daobilige.su@sydney.edu.au |
| 09:15–10:15 | United States | New York: 18:15–19:15, 5 Oct (EDT) | USA Hub Session |
Guoyu Lu · gl72151@uga.edu |
| 10:15–11:15 | Japan | 08:15–09:15 JST, 6 Oct | Japan Hub Session |
Liangliang Yang · yang@agr.hokudai.ac.jp |
| 11:15–12:15 | China | 08:15–09:15 CST, 6 Oct | China Hub Session |
Bingkun Yuan · ybk17861501539@gmail.com |
| 12:15–14:15 | — | — | Lunch / Local Networking | — |
| 14:15–15:15 | Malaysia | 11:15–12:15 MYT, 6 Oct | Malaysia Hub Session |
Mahirah Jahari · jmahirah@upm.edu.my |
| 15:15–16:15 | India | 09:45–10:45 IST, 6 Oct | India Hub Session |
Rajanikanth Aluvalu · rajanikanth.aluvalu@ieee.org |
| 16:15–17:15 | AgRA TC info share |
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| 17:15–18:15 | Audience Q&A and Interaction |
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| 18:15–19:15 | Nigeria (Africa) | 08:15–09:15 WAT, 6 Oct | Nigeria / Africa Hub Session |
Ashiegbu Nwakaego Gloria · gloriaashiegbu80@gmail.com |
| 19:15–19:20 | Global | — | Closing Remarks |
Yongliang Qiao · yongliang.qiao@ieee.org |
Note: Minor adjustments may be made according to the final availability of speakers and participating Local Hubs.
3
Regional Session Schedule
Keynote speaker information for each Local Hub:
| Local Hub | Keynote / Invited Speaker | Tentative Talk Title |
|---|---|---|
| Australia · University of Sydney | Kavisha Vidanapathirana | In-field digital phenotyping for vegetable breeding |
| Thien Hoang Nguyen | Integrated AgriSense: Robotics and IoT for Nutrient-Water Mapping | |
| United States · Indiana University | Jiakai Lin | Advanced Mobility and Chassis Technologies for Field Robotics |
| Guoyu Lu | Towards Scalable Multimodal Robot Sensing for Sustainable Agriculture | |
| Japan · Hokkaido University | Kanya Usu | Global Self-Localization within Vineyard Rows Using 3D LiDAR and an RGB Camera |
| Liangliang Yang | Harvesting robotics for fruits and vegetables using multi-AI sensors | |
| China · Jilin University | Bingkun Yuan | Advanced Mobility and Chassis Technologies for Field Robotics |
| Fan Zhang | Advances in Key Technologies for AI-Driven Autonomous Navigation of Agricultural Machinery | |
| Malaysia · Universiti Putra Malaysia | Dr. Nur Azuan Husin | Ganoderma BSR assessment — from Ground to Aerial application |
| Dr. Nur Atirah Muhadi | Estimating River Levels from Visual Surveillance Data | |
| India · HCLTech / IIT Hyderabad |
Mr. Rakesh Kumar Sidharthan · Technical Manager GenAI, HCLTech |
Cloud Robotics: Enabling Intelligent, Connected, and Scalable Robotic Systems |
|
Dr. Mohamed Saleem · TiHAN, IIT Hyderabad |
Industrial Automation using Internet of Things | |
AgRA TC |
Audience Q&A and Interaction |
|
|
Nigeria · Michael Okpara University of Agriculture |
Dr. Ashiegbu Nwakaego Gloria | Frugal Autonomy and Inclusive Sensing: Adapting Agricultural Robotics for African Smallholder Farming Systems |
| Prof. Olufemi M. Adesope | Adapting Agricultural Robotics for African Smallholder Farming | |
Additional invited speakers may be added within the allocated session time.
Overall Coordinator
Yongliang Qiao ·
yongliang.qiao@ieee.org
IEEE RAS Support
Jasmine ·
ras.tab.vp@gmail.com
IEEE Agricultural Robotics and Automation Technical Committee (AgRA TC) · 6 October 2026