Rowbot Systems LLC

Awards Issued Prior to January 20, 2025, Were Funded Under Previous Administrations and May Not Reflect the Priorities and Policies of the Current Administration. Measurement of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Fluxes Is Essential for Verifying the Effectiveness of Climate-smart Farming Practices Intended to Reduce GHG Emissions or Promote Long-term Storage of Carbon in Soils. Comprehensive Measurement of GHG Fluxes From Fields Is Not Currently Possible. There Is an Opportunity to Market a Low-cost, Automated Device for Monitoring GHG Fluxes Across Fields by Collecting Gas Samples for Off-field Analysis. the Overall Project Goal Is to Increase the Technical Readiness of a Prototype Robotic Chamber for Monitoring GHG Fluxes From Soil Surfaces Between Rows of a Crop Like Corn. the Supporting Objectives Are: (a) Redesign the Autosampler and Chamber; (B) Develop a More Robust Solution for Automatically Opening and Closing the Chamber Periodically; (C) Test Performance Compared to Existing Research Flux Chambers; (D) Test Performance Over 24-HR Periods of Operation. Testing Will Be Carried Out on a Nitrogen Fertilizer Experiment at a Research Site Near ST. Paul, MN. a Final Round of Prototyping Will Be Conducted to Develop an Improved Design That Would Be Used in a Phase Ii Project. the Proposed Phase I Project Is Directly Relevant to USDA'S Strategic Goal of Combatting Climate Change, Because Actions Cannot Be Taken to Alter GHG Fluxes Without First Measuring Them.