


SMART Tables: Automation and Accuracy in Plant Imaging
Some of the world’s most unique and innovative plant imaging technology has been developed here at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR).
The SMART table, or the Spatially and Mechanically Accurate Robotic Table, allows researchers to automatically take thousands of photographs over a plant’s life cycle, collecting data from beginning to end. With a mix of computer and human analysis of these photos, researchers can examine plant growth at every stage of development, allowing for a better understanding of the impact of different variables on plants.
What is a SMART Table?
The SMART tables consist of an aluminum frame with a tray holding up to 86 individually potted plants. A color-sensitive webcam mounted to a mechanical arm, called a gantry, then takes a picture of each plant, providing a measurement of plant canopy size as well as other morphological traits of the plant, including leaf shape, discoloration and more. These functions are all controlled using Python code, which tells the gantry and camera when to move across the table and take photos.

IALR Vice President of Applied Research Scott Lowman (left) and Virginia Tech Research Specialist Mitchell Doss (right) look at the potted plants inside the SMART Table.
“It’s like having a fixed camera above every plant on the table.” – Dr. Scott Lowman, Vice President of Applied Research, IALR
In most cases, the gantry and camera are programmed to photograph each plant every 15-30 minutes. By capturing images of plants during their life cycle, researchers can visually fill in the blanks that traditional measurement techniques leave behind.
Initially conceptualized by Jerzy Nowak and Alfred Wicks of Virginia Tech, and based on off-the-shelf equipment used in traditional manufacturing, the SMART table concept was later picked up by IALR’s Vice President of Applied Research, Dr. Scott Lowman, during his post-doctoral research in imaging. Dr. Lowman revitalized the idea, custom designing and building new functional tables, control systems and software that are now fully operational. Five SMART tables are currently in use, four hosted on IALR’s campus and another at Hargrave Military Academy.
Accuracy and Analysis
These tables are accurate to within a thousandth of an inch. This means that wherever the camera is programmed to go, it will return to that exact spot every single time. This accuracy allows researchers to capture timelapse photography of plant life, visualizing plant growth and death as if a stationary camera had been placed above each plant.
Researchers can utilize this technology to analyze the growth curves of plants during an experiment. Using the fully automatic system to take measurements every 15 minutes, they can see the impact of different variables over time.
“I can start an experiment, and as long as I can take care of the plants, it can run continuously until it’s completed or the plants die.” – Mitchell Doss, Virginia Tech Research Specialist

A color-sensitive webcam mounted to a mechanical arm, called a gantry, takes a picture of each plant, providing a measurement of plant canopy size as well as other morphological traits of the plant, including leaf shape, discoloration and more. These functions are all controlled using Python code, which tells the gantry and camera when to move across the table and take photos.
These tables are unique because they turn each plant into its own experimental unit. In traditional plant research, scientists take the fresh and dry weight of the harvested plant as a data point. However, this method leaves a gap within the plant’s early development and growth stages. Researchers can gain hyper-detailed data on plant growth by taking measurements of a plant throughout its life cycle.
Analyzing the data gathered from the SMART tables is a complicated process. After conducting an experiment, researchers have folders on the computer containing thousands of images of each plant. From here, complex lines of code conduct image analysis that detects the amount of greenness (which equals the size of the plant) within an image. By calculating the difference between the number of green pixels from one image to another, researchers gain data on how much and how quickly a plant has grown.
Continued Improvement

Summer interns Kendall Moore (left) and Hunter Pruitt (right) both spent time improving niche aspects of the SMART Tables. Moore designed a hydroponics system to implement into the tables while Pruitt developed a program that automates the tables’ coordinate-finding system.
To continue the development of the SMART tables, the Applied Research division utilizes IALR’s Summer Internship program to provide young researchers with the opportunity to work with – and improve – this technology. This summer, the team of interns helped build two brand-new SMART tables.
“We need people with diverse skills and backgrounds to move these tables forward.” – Dr. Scott Lowman
The interns also carry out individual projects to improve niche aspects of the SMART tables. Hunter Pruitt, a rising senior at North Carolina State University, spent his summer working to automate the tables’ coordinate-finding system. Eliminating the need to manually input the coordinates for a plant on the table makes the technology more efficient and easier to use.
Another intern this summer, Kendall Moore, a rising senior at the University of Virginia, designed a hydroponics system to implement into the tables. This will allow for new research on hydroponic growth techniques in addition to potted plants.
The current coding system and graphic user interface used to run the tables was developed by Samuel Hedrick, an intern during the summer of 2021. This allows the table to be user-friendly to those who don’t have a specific background in computer science.
Mitchell Doss, a Virginia Tech Research Specialist currently earning a master’s degree in horticulture, has worked with the SMART tables since 2014, when he was a part of the original team of interns who helped with image analysis. Now, the roles have reversed, as Doss has taken on supervising the Coding and Robotics interns.
“IALR is the place for opportunities.” – Mitchell Doss
A jack of all trades in terms of research, Doss has been a part of IALR’s Applied Research Division since 2021. He has conducted various experiments via the SMART tables and is carrying out research for his master’s program on potassium levels in fertilizers.
Lowman, Doss and Virginia Tech faculty member Dr. Kaylee South are drafting a research paper introducing the SMART tables into the present literature. Once this is published, it will allow future research done via the tables to reference it, as opposed to including tedious details within the methods and materials sections of the paper.
What’s next?
Plants shake as they grow. That fact is common knowledge in the scientific community, but it is unclear why they shake or what that movement says about a plant’s overall health. The meaning of plant movement is one area IALR researchers are beginning to explore using the SMART tables’ complete imaging capabilities.
“We’ll be practically the only people in the world that can look at plant movement as an indicator of plant health scientifically.” – Dr. Scott Lowman
One inconvenience in developing code to detect plant movement is determining the difference between movement and growth. As it stands, plant growth is categorized as the total amount of green pixels in an image, whereas plant movement is the amount of change in green pixels found in an image. In short, if green pixels are found where there were none before, or there are no green pixels where there were before, that is considered plant movement.

Recently, IALR obtained a 3D-scanning device that allows the user to create a three-dimensional model of any object. Implementing this technology within the SMART tables could allow for further exploration into plant growth and movement.
The capability to accurately measure plant movement could offer a new dependent variable for experiments. This possibility can also be paired with IALR’s extensive endophyte library to provide early detections of bacterial impact.
“It’s not what you expect to find; it’s what you don’t expect to find that makes it interesting.” – Dr. Scott Lowman
Moving forward, the objective is to integrate new types of cameras onto the table, such as multispectral, hyperspectral and lidar cameras that could detect changes in wavelength reflection that human vision cannot detect. Different aspects of plant movement could also be studied, such as leaf tip curling and other changes in the structure of plants.
Another development is the use of a hydroponics system to further automate the process of experimentation via the SMART tables. In the future, this technology could be merged with the Controlled Environment Agriculture Center at IALR.
The eventual goal is to share the SMART table technology and research capabilities with companies and institutions commercially. After many alterations and tweaks throughout the years, an efficient and user-friendly product is nearly ready for market.

IALR August 2023 Newsletter

IALR July 2023 Newsletter

IALR Shares Partnerships, Progress and Transformation in Annual Report
The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) has published its 2021-2022 annual report, which highlights innovative and collaborative partnerships across departments that are transforming the economy of Southern Virginia.
“Significant economic growth has resulted due to robust partnerships across the region. IALR stands ready to serve as Virginia’s go-to partner for education and workforce development, business and economic growth, and a globally competitive business ecosystem.” – IALR President Telly Tucker.
One of the pivotal moments of the report period is the creation and adoption of the new IALR Strategic Plan, which will guide IALR’s work and efforts for the next five years. With input from key stakeholders, the plan establishes strategic goals to outline how IALR can best capitalize on its unique strengths to impact the region.
Just some of the new initiatives and programs launched, announced or expanded during FY 21 and FY 22:
- Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM)
- Center for Manufacturing Advancement
- GO TEC Training Lab at IALR and expansion into other regions of Virginia
- GO Virginia Region 3 Bridge to Recovery
- Megabytes updated menu and ordering process
- Next generation of Work (NOW) teamships
- ODU Manufacturing Engineering Technology Major, with IALR as a Satellite Campus
- Registered Apprenticeships
- Quest Certification of Southern Virginia Megasite at Berry Hill
- REACH Partnership and REACH AmeriCorps
- Virginia Tech-IALR Controlled Environment Agriculture Innovation Center
- Wonder Community of Lifelong Learning
The Great Opportunities in Technology and Engineering Careers (GO TEC™) framework is spreading into schools across the Commonwealth. The GO TEC program is just one component of the newly developed and proven EmPOWER system – an employer-driven model to systematically connect students to careers through career awareness, exposure, and engagement and experience. Future and current members of the workforce, as well as businesses, find joint benefits in problem-solving teamships, apprenticeships, externships and internships, mock interview days and more.
While striving to promote a diversified economy by serving a variety of industries, much of IALR’s impact in 2021-2022 was in the manufacturing sector. Expanding the existing middle-school-through-college workforce development pipelines, the new Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM) program is a rapid adult-learner model that prepares talent for jobs in the defense industrial base. ATDM launched in 2020 and is already proving successful and showing what modern public-private partnerships should look like. In addition, IALR partnered with the Commonwealth of Virginia and Danville Regional Foundation to construct the Center for Manufacturing Advancement, a new destination for manufacturers ready to optimize and scale and home to the U.S. Navy’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence.
Through the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Innovation Center, a joint project with Virginia Tech, IALR has established itself as a global leader in the CEA industry. The presence of the innovative research and state-of-the-art equipment are already making an impact on Southern Virginia. Thanks to best-in-class resources, including lab spaces and staff, the Applied Research team provided 30 companies with applied research and testing services like analytical chemistry, polymer testing and more.
In partnership with the Southern Virginia Regional Alliance (SVRA) and many other economic development organizations, IALR is proud to champion the area while working with local, regional and state partners. In FY 21 and 22, the Southern Virginia region saw $498 million in announced capital investment and 1,288 new jobs. IALR contributed to economic success by serving as a temporary home for growing businesses by providing critical testing services and lab space to innovative companies across industries. The Bridge to Recovery Program connected companies with suppliers and helped businesses become more resilient post-pandemic.
The Institute Conference Center hosted a variety of events geared toward the growth of industry sectors and Southern Virginia, including trainings and economic development activities. Numerous companies, including anchor and growing employers held successful job fairs, connecting community members with quality employment. An extensive renovation of the main building and a relaunch of Megabytes, IALR’s on-site café, have allowed the Institute Conference Center to provide even better service for the 20,800 guests who visited.

IALR Seeking Businesses to Partner in Work-based Learning Programs
The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) is seeking employers and businesses across Southern Virginia to partner and participate in several work-based learning programs. With varying levels of time and financial commitments, these programs help employers grow the regional workforce and allow students to connect and learn about quality career opportunities in the region.
“We operate a variety of youth workforce development programs that are mutually beneficial to the participants and the businesses involved,” said Jessie Vernon, Program Manager for Advanced Learning at IALR. “Our programming helps build recruitment pipelines and exposes youth in the region to the opportunities available with area businesses. While we coordinate these programs, they truly would not be possible without the support of our business and community partners.”
Each of the programs below are part of EmPOWER, an employer-driven system to empower and connect students to careers. Through career awareness, engagement, and experience we can build pipelines of students whose interests and skillsets align with current employer needs and economic development interests.
Exploring Careers through Industry Teacher Externships (Excite)
IALR is looking for businesses to host teachers or school counselors through Exploring Careers through Industry Teacher Externships (EXCITE), a professional development program operating for educators across 15 counties in Virginia. By placing educators in local businesses through this teacher externship program, IALR helps connect the classroom to the workplace. With first-hand exposure, teachers can design and implement classroom activities, projects and work-based learning opportunities that will add relevance and meaning to students’ classroom learning.
Participating businesses commit between one and three days during the summer to host an educator. There is no financial commitment associated with this program.
Businesses interested in hosting an educator this summer can reach out to Jessie Vernon. The deadline to sign up to host an educator is May 19th.
IGNITE – Internships (already completed)
IALR is looking for businesses that can host a high school or college intern this summer. Companies will receive project/business support as they mentor and aid in the skill development of a young person and might just train their next hire.
More than 26,000 students across Southern Virginia have access to MajorClarity, a work-based learning platform where all internships will be posted. This gives businesses access to the best and brightest students across the region. Internship duration and hours are customizable and companies may be eligible for matching funds for the cost of the intern.
Those interested in hosting a summer intern at their business should complete this online interest form. The deadline to request a summer 2023 intern is April 28th.
AspHIRE – Meet Your Future Workforce (ALREADY COMPLETED)
IALR is looking for volunteers to participate as mock interviewers or session presenters at AspHIRE mock interview days across Southern Virginia. The mock interview days provide high school juniors and (primarily) seniors an opportunity to hone their interview skills with a local professional. In addition to their interview, students take part in a formal business lunch and six work-readiness sessions.
The AspHIRE Mock Interview Days will take place at the following locations and times:
- South Boston, Southern Virginia Higher Education Center: March 29 & 30
- Danville, Institute for Advanced Learning and Research: April 7 & 26
- Farmville, Longwood University: April 25
The minimum volunteer commitment is 1.5 hours, but business professionals and employers who would like to invest more time are welcome. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.