BANANA-AI | A Strong Collaboration from Laboratory to Field, from Science to Production
Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University (ALKU) continues to host pioneering studies that contribute to Türkiye's vision for agricultural technologies. Supported under the TÜBİTAK ARDEB 1001 program and led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Akın Oktav from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the Banana-Ai project is carried out through a strong interdisciplinary effort, with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özge Öztimur Karadağ from the Department of Computer Engineering and Prof. Dr. Murat Alper Başaran from the Department of Industrial Engineering serving as researchers, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fırat Arslan from the Department of Biosystems Engineering and Asst. Prof. Dr. Nuri Hakan Ekmekçi from the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering serving as advisors. In this respect, the project goes beyond being merely a scientific study and stands as an exemplary collaboration in which different engineering disciplines focus on a common goal.
Team Spirit Extending from the Laboratory to the Field
The transition from the laboratory, where the foundations of the project were laid, to the banana greenhouse, where data is turned into reality, has been the most concrete indicator of interdisciplinary harmony. Electrical and Electronics Engineering students Melek Bal, Mehmet Kağan Aras, İlke Kobak, and Sıla Kaygusuz, together with Computer Engineering students Zeynep Yüksel, Dilan Balık, Nurcan İlhan, Kutlubay Karabudak, and Berat Öztürk, take on different responsibilities at every stage of the project and come together around a shared goal. Trained in two different engineering disciplines, these young engineer candidates experience together how academic knowledge is transformed into concrete solutions under field conditions.
Interdisciplinary Communication and Engineering Culture
The project produces more than just a technical output; it is carried out with a strong communication network and a high sense of responsibility. Throughout the process, from modeling in the laboratory to sensor installation in the greenhouse, the students continuously consult one another at the intersection of hardware and software, developing solutions aligned with the Agriculture 4.0 vision. Coming from different disciplines, the students combine their theoretical preparation in the laboratory with the real-world problems they encounter in the field, under the academic guidance of their professors. With the discipline gained from working together and building a shared engineering culture, the team continues to work passionately to successfully implement this AI-based model, which will increase productivity in banana greenhouses.
