Agriculture in the Philippines and neighboring ASEAN countries faces a critical challenge: the annual decline in farm labor availability, estimated at 1.5%. Younger generations are increasingly uninterested in farming, leaving an aging workforce with an average age of 55 to 60 years. This trend could affect our food sustainability within the next 5 to 10 years.

Addressing this pressing issue, AGROTIS transforms conventional hand tractors into fully autonomous machines. The system uses a GPS module for precision navigation and a compass module to determine the robot鈥檚 orientation. With this technology, farmers can control multiple hand tractors simultaneously, increasing efficiency and reducing manual labor. Safety is also prioritized with an emergency shutoff feature installed in the system.

Funded by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD), the AGROTIS system was developed in collaboration with the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), and UST鈥檚 own technology business incubator, the TOMASInno Center (TIC). Its modular design can be extended to other machinery like rice harvesters and transplanters. Tested by Agricultural Machinery Testing and Evaluation Center (AMTEC), AGROTIS has demonstrated 80% field efficiency and 20 hours-per-hectare field capacity compared to traditional methods, significantly enhancing productivity.

The team plans to deploy AGROTIS through rental models for rice cooperatives and direct sales to farmers, while also seeking collaborations with international tractor manufacturers. With a vision to expand into ASEAN markets, the system is a step toward modernizing agriculture and ensuring food sustainability.

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The AGROTIS Navigation System, funded by the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD), can operate autonomously through GPS-guided navigation or be manually controlled via radio frequency. Developed in collaboration with the Philippine Rice Research Institute and the International Rice Research Institute, it is equipped with a robust safety system and offers versatile solutions for various tractor types. The technology is incubated at the UST TOMASInno Center, the University鈥檚 Technology-based Business Incubator (TBI) and aims to directly benefit local farmers by enhancing rice field land preparation.

During an interview held at the UST-Dr. Tony Tan Caktiong Innovation Center in UST鈥檚 research complex in Santa Rosa City, Bautista discussed the inspiration behind AGROTIS and its positive impact on farming operations. The Agricultural Machinery Testing and Evaluation Center (AMTEC) tested the system, which demonstrated significant improvements, reducing the field capacity of hand tractors from 31.25 hours per hectare to 20 hours per hectare, and increasing field efficiency from 60% to 80%. Additionally, a customer validation survey showed a 90% acceptability rate among local farmers.

Game-changing innovations like the AGROTIS Navigation System are among the thrusts of the recently opened UST-Dr. Tony Tan Caktiong Innovation Center鈥� to develop technologies that address local challenges and enhance the nation鈥檚 technological landscape, ultimately bringing significant benefits to the Filipino people.

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Bautista鈥檚 paper documented the transition of the Electronics Engineering program of UST to the enriched virtual mode, 鈥渕ost practical and yet effective teaching, learning, and evaluation methods to achieve the desired learning outcomes resulting in a richer learning experience for students.鈥� The paper documented 鈥渃ontextual strategies on enhancing motivation, incorporating active engagement, designing effective assessment tasks, and adopting an inclusive mindset will also be discussed as key factors that assured ECE students’ success at a distance without compromising the delivery of instruction and learning process.鈥�

Bautista is one of the e-Learning Specialists of the Faculty of Engineering. In her paper, she acknowledged the University鈥檚 鈥減ioneering effort in massive-scale eLearning implementation, which has served as a catalyst in mitigating the effect of change on its faculty workforce during pandemic times.鈥� The university鈥檚 e-learning efforts are led by the Educational Technology Center.

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