Rail-mounted gantry that carries a camera over potted plants and collects high-resolution images for agricultural AI. DASH describes it as an open-source imaging platform. Units are hosted by research partners; DASH does not sell the machine. The Grand Farm Innovation Campus in Wheatland, North Dakota, installed a unit in October 2026 to image sugar beets for Cercospora leaf spot.
Agricultural robotics from DASH.
Model specifications and operating notes.
DASH lists throughput of about 1,000 images per hour on the current rail-mounted model. BenchBot is not sold. Host sites receive site planning, installation, training, and service, and contribute imagery to the Agricultural Image Repository. No published price.
Specifications describe this product family and its listed configuration. Read operating notes for limits and qualifications. Listed figures are manufacturer or press claims, not independent verification of current availability.
Company profile
Digital Agricultural Systems Hub (DASH) is a USDA Agricultural Research Service initiative that builds imaging tools and the Agricultural Image Repository used to train agricultural computer vision. Steven Mirsky and Amanda Hulse-Kemp are the DASH co-directors.
digitalagsystemshub.org ↗ digitalagsystemshub.org ↗ digitalagsystemshub.org ↗ scientificdiscoveries.ars.usda.gov ↗ LinkedIn ↗
Co-Director
Co-Director
Field relationships · DASH
Robot · DASH BenchBot
Partner · Active · Other · US
Wheatland, North Dakota, United States · Wheatland, North Dakota
sugar beets · Cercospora leaf spot imaging
Grand Farm is hosting the BenchBot robotic imaging platform at their site, where it will serve as a core resource for the region and spur innovation among USDA-ARS, North Dakota State University, and their partners.
Updates
Product news · Oct 1, 2026
Grand Farm said it installed a BenchBot imaging platform at the Innovation Campus in Wheatland, North Dakota, in October 2026. The campus planted sugar beets for the platform in June. Amanda Hulse-Kemp said DASH is working with sugar beet grower associations on Cercospora leaf spot mapping in the Fargo area. DASH hosts the machine at partner sites and does not sell it.
DASH BenchBot is a rail-mounted gantry from the Digital Agricultural Systems Hub, a USDA Agricultural Research Service initiative. It carries a camera over potted plants and collects high-resolution imagery used to train agricultural computer vision. DASH describes it as an open-source imaging platform that semi-autonomously captures pre-labeled, AI-ready datasets for the Agricultural Image Repository.
The machine is not for sale. Host sites receive site planning, installation, training, routine service, and troubleshooting. In return they contribute imagery to the repository and use the DASH data pipeline.
The Grand Farm Innovation Campus in Wheatland, North Dakota, installed a unit in October 2026. Grand Farm planted sugar beets for the platform in June 2026. Amanda Hulse-Kemp said DASH is working with sugar beet grower associations on Cercospora leaf spot mapping in the Fargo area. Steven Mirsky said Grand Farm is hosting the platform as a regional resource with USDA-ARS and North Dakota State University.
The assembled Grand Farm unit spans over 30 feet in width and 10 feet in height. DASH lists a configurable gantry width of 12 to 32 feet, a track length of 60 to 200 feet, level ground of 3 degrees or less, 240 volt 30 amp single-phase power, and internet upload of at least 100 megabits per second. DASH lists throughput of about 1,000 images per hour on the current rail-mounted model. No purchase price has been published.
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