Bradley Hamner

About

Bradley Hamner is a leading researcher in agricultural robotics, specializing in autonomous navigation and perception systems for specialty crop production. His most impactful work centers on developing GPS-free sensor suites and obstacle detection algorithms that enable safe, reliable operation of orchard vehicles in complex tree fruit environments. Hamner’s 2015 paper "Robot Farmers," with 114 citations, introduces a family of autonomous vehicles that navigate between tree rows and perform tasks like harvesting and spraying, addressing critical challenges in labor-intensive agriculture. He also pioneered learning-based approaches to collision avoidance, as seen in his 2006 work (36 citations), where robots mimic human driver behavior to avoid obstacles. Hamner contributed to the Comprehensive Automation for Specialty Crops project, demonstrating early results in 2010 (37 citations) that integrated perception, navigation, and manipulation. His research has practical impact, with systems tested in real orchards, and he has advanced mobile robotic tracking for assembly tasks (17 citations). Hamner’s work bridges robotics and agriculture, offering scalable solutions that reduce reliance on manual labor while improving efficiency and safety in food production.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Robot Farmers: Autonomous Orchard Vehicles Help Tree Fruit Production

   114 citations · 2015
2. 2
   A practical obstacle detection system for autonomous orchard vehicles

   41 citations · 2012
3. 3
   Comprehensive Automation for Specialty Crops: Year 1 results and lessons learned

   37 citations · 2010
4. 4
   Learning obstacle avoidance parameters from operator behavior

   36 citations · 2006
5. 5
   An efficient system for combined route traversal and collision avoidance

   25 citations · 2008
6. 6
   Navigating with ranging radios: Five data sets with ground truth

   24 citations · 2009
7. 7
   Mobile robotic dynamic tracking for assembly tasks

   17 citations · 2009
8. 8
   Results in Combined Route Traversal and Collision Avoidance

   10 citations · 2006
9. 9
   Learning to Drive Among Obstacles

   4 citations · 2006
10. 10
    Results in Combined Route Traversal and Collision Avoidance

    2 citations · 2006

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links