Topics
- Education and Research
March 13, 2026
A student from the Faculty of Faculty of Science and Engineering won second place in the Student Idea Pitch Battle for their research on smart agriculture utilizing robotics and AI atUtsunomiya Campus
On December 20, 2025 (Saturday), at the Tochigi Student Idea Pitch Battle, organized by the University Consortium Tochigi and held at the Tochigi Prefectural Cultural Center (Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture), Keita Fukuda (4th year student, Department of Department of Information and Electronic Engineering Faculty of Science and Engineering) won second place for his presentation.
The award-winning project, "Protecting Tochigi Rice with AI - Early Detection System for Spotted Rice Bugs," is an advanced initiative that uses robots and AI image recognition technology to detect spotted rice bugs, which cause extensive damage by sucking the sap from ripening rice, at an early stage. When rice is damaged by pests and diseases, its grade drops, resulting in significant losses for farmers. 97% of discolored rice grains are due to damage from stink bugs. Against the backdrop of a projected 2.5-fold increase in rice prices by 2025, the project aims to protect the quality of Tochigi-grown rice and realize smart agriculture that delivers delicious, vibrant rice to consumers.
This award recognizes the project's successful balance of practicality and labor-saving measures achieved through collaboration with local farmers. Further development is expected, including integration with pesticide application, making it an excellent example of smart agriculture with promising field applications.
After receiving praise from Professor Yuichi Hasuda of the same department, who supervised her, Ms. Fukuda expressed her delight, saying, "From April, I will be working as a middle school mathematics teacher, and I want to convey to my students the importance of rice, which supports Japan's food supply." Further success is expected from her in the future.
Click here for the results of the Tochigi Idea Pitch Battle.
Click here for the winning entries.
