SolaRid AR, LLC has received a Phase II grant through the National Science Foundation’s Small Business Innovation Research program. With the $981,186 award, the Clinton-based agtech company plans to further develop its smart insect control system.
The team’s innovative artificial-intelligence-driven solution enables farmers to fight pests more efficiently, reducing crop loss and pesticide waste.
“When we can allow farmers to do more with less, we all benefit,” said SolaRid co-founder Don Richardson.
After trapping and imaging pests, the tool employs an AI system to identify and count the pests in real time. Information and predictive management tools are made available 24/7 through a mobile app.
Armed with this precise knowledge, farmers will be able to respond quickly to the threat, cutting into the more than $45 billion in damage caused annually by agricultural pests. Early detection is becoming increasingly important as insect populations grow in size and resiliency due to climate change.
“Every three years, a new damaging species of insects of economic importance is identified in the United States,” Richardson said.
Farmers will also be able to use pesticides in a more targeted way that produces less waste and better results.
In Phase II, SolaRid will continue refining the system’s hardware and database to produce a rugged, easy-to-use, and comprehensive smart trap.
“It is a significant milestone after five years of development,” said SolaRid managing partner Randy J. Sasaki. “It is also an endorsement by authorities that the AI technology has been developed and of the importance of commercializing the technology that is intended to make America more competitive.”
SolaRid is currently working with University of Arkansas researchers to seamlessly integrate a camera with the system’s solar-powered insect traps.
The system’s pest database will be bolstered through a partnership with the the University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health. Its mapping system, EDDMapS, documents invasive species and pest distribution throughout the U.S. and Canada, boasting over 7.8 million records.
Additionally, SolaRid will work with the University of California Agricultural and Natural Resources and USDA Agricultural Resources Services to enhance AI identification of two specific pests: fall armyworms and navel orangeworms, which affect crops including rice, pistachios, figs, and pomegranates.
ASBTDC Assistance
SolaRid has engaged the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Center for SBIR proposal development services since 2019. ASBTDC consultants assisted the company on a string of successful proposals, including its $225,000 NSF Phase I grant in 2020 and a $181,500 SBIR award through the U.S. Department of Agriculture last year.
“ASBTDC has been instrumental in our SBIR application processes,” Richardson said. “Catherine Corley provided invaluable technical assistance for our SBIR proposal submission, including counsel on how to respond to reviewers’ comments, as well as how to prepare a competitive application for the SBIR matching funds offered by the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.”