At the end of November, during the peak harvest season for northern Chinese cabbage, the fourth-generation self-propelled cabbage harvester developed by a team led by Xie Fuxiang, Dean of the School of Mechanical and Automation at Weifang University, played a crucial role. In the fields, the robot moved along the rows, efficiently harvesting cabbage. "Our robot addresses challenges such as varying cabbage diameters, uneven planting rows, and undulating terrain," Xie Fuxiang explained.
This initiative exemplifies Weifang University’s commitment to aligning with local industrial needs and contributing to regional economic growth. Located in Weifang, a major agricultural hub in Shandong Province known as "China’s Agricultural Machinery City," the university is surrounded by over 600 agricultural machinery manufacturers. For the School of Mechanical and Automation, specializing in agricultural machinery has become a strategic focus to enhance competitiveness.
In recent years, the school has secured more than 100 million yuan in horizontal research funding, with key innovations making tangible impacts in production. "The value of a university lies in deeply rooting talent and research in the fertile soil of industrial development," said Lai Fengbo, Party Secretary of Weifang University.
**Strengthening Research Breakthroughs** At Shandong Yuhe Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., a lineup of agricultural robots dominates the workshop. These include self-propelled cabbage harvesters, fruit-picking robots, grassland biodiversity inspection robots, and precision seeding robots—all developed by the Intelligent Agricultural Equipment and Robotics Innovation Team at Weifang University.
The team comprises 12 Ph.D. researchers, mostly in their 30s, who are no strangers to fieldwork. "Developing agricultural robots requires getting your hands dirty in the fields," said Professor Song Jian, the team leader, who has dedicated over two decades to researching fruit-picking robots.
Their efforts have yielded significant results, such as the multi-sensor navigation precision seeding robot developed by Dr. Li Yanjun, achieving over 95% seeding accuracy. Another innovation, the grassland biodiversity monitoring robot, has been deployed in Inner Mongolia for real-time ecological assessments.
The team is also advancing a "magnetic levitation blower" project, overcoming foreign monopolies on core technologies. "During the toughest phases, our Party branch held meetings in the lab, with members leading the charge," recalled Tai Liuchen, a key researcher. The breakthrough earned the team the Shandong Provincial Technology Invention Award.
**Bridging Education and Industry** Weifang is not only an agricultural powerhouse but also a leader in the power equipment sector, boasting a 300-billion-yuan industrial cluster. The university’s research team has prioritized engine technology, with Professor Lin Jinshan recently developing a "rotating equipment fault diagnosis and online monitoring system."
"Like a 'dynamic ECG' for machinery, this technology enables predictive maintenance," Lin explained. He emphasized the virtuous cycle of "research-transformation-feedback," where lab innovations are tested and refined in real-world applications.
To bridge academia and industry, the university introduced a "dual-mentor" system, pairing students with 32 industry experts. Additionally, the Intelligent Equipment Experimental Class has achieved a 44% retention rate of graduates in Weifang.
"Industry-academia platforms have become training grounds for innovation," said Zhang Jianwei, Party Secretary of the School of Mechanical and Automation. For example, the Weichai Industrial College has supplied over 140 skilled employees to Weichai Power Co., Ltd., ensuring a precise match between industry needs and talent development.
"Serving regional development remains our unwavering goal," Zhang affirmed, pledging deeper integration of science, industry, and education to fuel high-quality economic growth.