The Biosystems Engineering Advanced Automation Facility is located at the EV Smith Research Center, Shorter, AL. This facility is used by Auburn University faculty and scientists in support of research and demonstration efforts for agriculture and forestry machinery automation. This unit along with others at EV Smith provides year round development and testing. It also serves as a laboratory for teaching courses such as instrumentation, off-highway hydraulics, machine design and precision agriculture. The EV Smith Research Center is approximately 3300 acres with 6 departments; Field Crops, Field Services, Dairy, Beef, Horticulture, Plant Breeding and Biosystems Engineering. It is about a 25 minute drive from the Auburn University campus.

Biosystems Engineering Unit

Description

    • Secure indoor and outdoor working and storage facility
    • Indoor facility includes a shop for maintenance and technology installation along with a large indoor, open area for storage and testing.
    • Shop: 1800 ft2
    • Lab: 5000 ft2 (40-ft by 125-ft)
    • Outdoor but roofed storage area: 4000 ft2 (40-ft by 100-ft)
    • Fenced in yard for equipment storage

  • 21 acres of dedicated cropland utilized for in-season field testing and demonstration studies
  • Used to support precision planting studies and crop sensor demonstrations.
  • Crops: Corn, cotton, sugarcane and soybeans
  • Note: Farm Services and Field Crop Units provide access to larger production fields at EV Smith and area also used to support ongoing research and demonstrations.

Precision Planting Studies and Demonstrations

Autoguidance Testing

Fertilizer and Litter Spreader Design, Testing, and On-Farm Demonstrations.

Crop Sensor Development and Demonstration along with Spray Control and Nozzle Evaluation

Capabilities

The Biosystems Engineering Advanced Automation Facility provides the following research capabilities which are unique to the Southern US.

  • 24/7/365 equipment testing (weather dependent depending upon desired operating conditions)
  • Education and training facility for equipment and technology manufacturers
  • Indoor areas for equipment education
  • Outdoor area for field demonstrations and education
  • Teaching facility for Biosystems Engineering labs
  • Indoor and outdoor sprayer and spreader testing
  • Guidance and geospatial technologies testing grounds
  • Crop production studies and demonstrations as related to machinery automation.

The EV Smith Research Center has a meeting facility which provides heating and cooling capabilities. This meeting room can accommodate 150 people for meetings but can be setup for meals. It is located adjacent to the Biosystems Engineering Unit.