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About

Mongkol Ekpanyapong is a leading researcher in agricultural robotics and automation, with a focus on developing intelligent, low-cost solutions for precision farming. His work centers on integrating machine vision, sensor fusion, and autonomous navigation to address critical labor shortages and improve efficiency in rice cultivation. Ekpanyapong’s most impactful contribution is the design and validation of a rice field weeding robot that combines machine vision-based row guidance with GPS and compass routing, achieving fully autonomous navigation—a paper that has garnered 96 citations. He also pioneered an automated three-wheel rice seeding robot capable of precisely controlling seed spacing and count in dry paddy fields, directly tackling agricultural labor constraints. More recently, he introduced a high-accuracy, low-cost localization system using an IMU-coupled triple-laser-guided (TLG) approach, enabling centimeter-level positioning for field robots without expensive sensors. His work is notable for its practical, deployable designs that balance affordability with robust performance, making advanced automation accessible for smallholder farms. Through these innovations, Ekpanyapong is helping to shape the future of smart agriculture in Southeast Asia and beyond.