Faculty of Applied Sciences

CONTINUING EDUCATION MECHATRONIC SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

Agritech 4.0 Bootcamp: Automation And Digital Technologies For Agriculture And Food Processing

Sponsored by BC Centre for Agritech Innovation (BCCAI)

Automation and digitization hold the key to make B.C’s agricultural and food sector sustainable, resilient, and globally competitive. This highly subsidized six-day bootcamp provides practical training on the subjects of robotics, automation, sensors, actuators, precision farming, GIS, drone technology, remote sensing, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, Industry 4.0, data analytics, AI and Machine Learning, etc. through a blend of lectures and hands-on learning. Core topics are:

  • Robotics and Automation
  • Industrial Internet of Things (I-IoT)
  • Precision Farming
  • Data Analytics and AI

BENEFITS FOR PARTICIPANTS

This automation and digital technology bootcamp will enhance your skillsets and help you transition into the emerging Agriculture 4.0 era. It is particularly benefitial for:

  • Designing, manufacturing, and selling machinery and equipment for agricultural purposes. They focus on developing advanced technologies for precision agriculture, automation, and mechanization.
  • Develop and offer innovative technologies for monitoring, sensing, and controlling agricultural operations. This includes companies involved in drone technology, remote sensing, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and farm management software.
  • Engineering and consulting services to the agricultural and food processing industry, including agricultural infrastructure design, irrigation systems, automation solutions, and smart factory planning.
  • Developing and implementing cutting-edge agricultural technologies, such as robotics, artificial intelligence, and automation.
  • Engineering services such as satellite imagery analysis, drone surveys, soil sampling, and precision application of inputs to optimize farm practices and increase productivity.

BENEFITS FOR EMPLOYERS

Your participating employees will be trained to help your company to embrace the opportunities offered by digital and automation technology, leading to increased efficiency and productivity.

How to Apply

Check upcoming offerings

Navigate to SFU Continuing Students and check upcoming course offerings

Apply to Course

Locate course/program and click register

PAY TUITION

  • Pay the course/program tuition fees. See below for more details

Tuition & Fees

MECH420 – Agritech 4.0 Bootcamp: Automation and Digital Technologies for Agriculture and Food Processing

Regular Tuition fees: $990 CAD plus GST (after tuition discount subsidized by BCCAI)

Student Tuition fees: $600 CAD plus GST for fulltime postsecondary or postgraduate students in BC (need to provide student ID for this rate with a cap on the number of student registrants in each cohort).

Please use promotion code STUDENT50 during registration. 

Discounts and promo codes CANNOT be applied retroactively once you complete registration.

Refund Policy

SFU issues refunds in the original method of payment and to the original payee only. Include your payment receipt when you request a refund. Email your refund request to learn@sfu.ca at least five business days before the course start date. All refunds or transfers are subject to a 20 per cent administrative charge per course, to a maximum of $50 per course. Refunds and transfers are not possible if your request is submitted less than five business days before the course start date.

Course Schedule

Automation and Digital Technologies for Agriculture and Food Processing Bootcamp (MECH 420) [preliminary schedule, subject to change]

Topic Module Day/Time Instructor Topics Hours
Automation and Robotics:Fundamentals

Recording

 

Ramtin Raksha

 

 Overview of Automation: definition, history, and evolution of automation; robot kinematics and dynamics; robot programming and control; applications in agriculture and food processing 3

Sensors and Actuators

Recording

 

Amr Marzouk

 

 Introduction to sensors, actuators, control systems, and power supplies. 1
Industrial controllers

Recording

 

Amr Marzouk

 

 Introduction to industrial controllers in Agritech; Feedback control systems, automation, real-time data acquisition and analysis; design considerations: modularity, cybersecurity, and maintenance. 3

 

Industry 4.0 Fundamentals

 

Recording

 

Farshid Najafi

 

 TBA 3
Internet of Things (IoT): Fundamentals

Recording

 

Farshid Najafi

 

 TBA 2
Architecture of Smart Food Proessing Factories

Recording

Farshid Najafi

TBA

 3
Precision Farming: Introduction

Recording

 

Krishna Vijayaraghavan

 

 Understanding and managing variability (abiotic and biotic Stress, weather,  soil erosion, soil fertility, pest, irrigation,  soil compaction), Agronomic Inputs, Precision Farming Tools (GPS, yield mapping, remote sensing, GIS data) 3
Remote Sensing in Agriculture

Recording

 

Bing Lu

 

 Introduction to remote sensing; remote sensing data for monitoring crop, soil, and environmental features; surface-energy interactions; remote sensing systems; remote sensors, image interpretation. 3

Data Analytics

 

Recording

 

Mohammad Narimani

 

 TBA 3
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) Fundamentals

Recording

 

Mohammad Narimani

 

 TBA 3

 

RFID technologies and Artificial vision systems

 

Recording

 

Farshid Najafi

 

 TBA 3
Total Lecture Hours

 

     30

Automation and Robotics:

Hands-on Lab Session

In-person lab session, 5/3/25

 

Taha Al-Khudairi

 

   4
Internet of Things (IoT): Hands-on Lab Session

In-person lab session, 5/10/25

 

Farshid Najafi

 

   3
Industrial controllers: Hands-on Lab Session

In-person lab session, 5/3/25

 

Taha Al-Khudairi

 

   4
Collaborative robots (Cobots) and lab

In-person lab session, 5/10/25

 

Farshid Najafi

 

   2
Digital Twins Lab

In-person lab session, 5/10/25

 

Farshid Najafi

 

   3
Total Lab Hours       16

 

Contact Us

Location

13450 – 102nd Avenue
Surrey, B.C.
Canada  V3T 0A3

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