UC Berkeley’s Premier Vertical Farming Research Group
Our club pursues cutting edge research initiatives in microbiology and plant science in order to design and develop state-of-the-art agricultural advancements in order to promote more a more sustainable and food-secure future.
Organics
Our organics team is currently engaged in increasing the sustainability and efficiency of aeroponic farming by exploring the viability of incorporating greywater into our systems.
Experimental Analysis
We intend to determine the impact of cultivating crops in pollutant-contaminated water by investigating factors such as elemental composition, crop weight, and crop size, as indicators of growth and development.
In the spring of 2024, we intend to introduce a greywater-processing system into our aeroponic farms and facilitate a comparative study between crops cultivated in non-processed and processed greywater.
Sustainability
The utilization of greywater holds significant importance, particularly in regions where consistent access to clean water is limited, such as isolated communities or drought prone regions. By incorporating greywater into farming practices, we hope to contribute to the sustainability objectives of our generation.
Education
VFB is planning an Elementary School Donation Program with Cragmont Elementary School in Berkeley. This will involve transporting our old hydroponic farm (Prototype I), setting it up in a 4th-5th grade classroom, and teaching students how to use it to grow lettuce. VFB will visit the class three times to both educate students about vertical farming and its social implications, and assist students in germinating, caring for, and harvesting the lettuce. Students will be involved in monitoring pH, water temperature, and electrical conductivity (EC); they will also be encouraged to write down observations. VFB’s goal is to expand the social impact of our club, and pass down enthusiasm for science to young students.
Engineering
Past Engineering Projects
Hydroponics
Our hydroponic farm utilizes novel nutrient salt sensors developed by our partners at UC Berkeley’s Swarm Lab. We monitor every part of the growing cycle with climate controlled environments and fully featured industrial grade nutrient and root monitoring sensors to ensure optimal growing conditions at all times. Our recirculating hydroponic system has achieved over a 93% reduction in water usage compared to field agriculture.
Robotics
Our robotic seeding, pollination and harvesting system will enable end to end automation for farms removing the need for intensive labor and pest management to grow crops. The robotic system utilizes a 6 axis industrial robot arm with a proprietary end effector capable of planting seedlings, pollinating individual flowers, harvesting ripe fruits and packaging products to be delivered to the end consumer.
Machine Learning:
Our machine learning team utilized cutting edge computer vision techniques to enable on-device inference for a variety of robotic tasks.
Computer Vision
We utilize a number of CV models for various stages of the growing lifecycle. Key initiatives focus on locating individual plant components (i.e., flower, fruit, crown, etc.) at millimeter precision in cartesian space, classification of plant health from IR imaging, and ripe fruit detection for harvesting.
Our engineering team is looking for committed, passionate, and visionary applicants with new, impactful engineering projects with potential to apply their projects to real-world farms.
Build With Us
Written Applications Due: 1/26/2024 @ 11:59pm
Interviews: 1/29 - 2/2
We’re looking for individuals who exhibit a strong independent drive and possess an ability to self-manage and implement tasks effectively with minimal supervision. Proficiency in problem-solving and a keen interest in innovative technologies is a must. Furthermore, we value individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit who can thrive in a fast-paced, evolving environment. Most importantly, we're seeking those who share our vision of redefining sustainable farming for the future.
We’re excited to meet you!
Organics:
The Organics division conducts independent scientific research focused on advancing scientific understanding across a broad spectrum of disciplines in vertical farming. Our work aims to enhance sustainability in vertical farming, particularly benefiting isolated or drought-prone regions with limited clean water access.
Engineering:
The Engineering division works to design efficient, modern systems that can perform all stages of the farming lifecycle. Members are encouraged to design and execute their own engineering projects while applying relevant concepts.