Nebraska Innovation Fellowship Showcase highlights robotics talent
After 20 weeks of prototyping, coaching and community building, the first Nebraska Innovation Fellowship Program cohort presented their robotics innovations during a showcase to demonstrate their prototypes and discuss what they’ve been building.
The event marked the end of a pilot program designed to support early-stage innovators at the intersection of robotics, design and entrepreneurship.
The program, formerly called the Robotics Fellowship, is hosted by Nebraska Innovation Studio in partnership with the Heartland Robotics Cluster. Fellows received $2,500 in material credits, access to a full semester of equipment and facilities and mentorship from industry experts and entrepreneurs.
NIS program coordinator John Strope said the response to the inaugural program was overwhelmingly positive.
“We didn’t get a single weak application,” Strope said. “Talent isn’t the limiting factor, we just need to create more opportunity.”
Amlan Balabantaray: Rethinking weed control using robotics
As a Ph.D. candidate in biological systems engineering, Amlan Balabantaray is tackling a growing issue in agriculture: herbicide-resistant weeds. His project, See N Till, is a GPS-guided, AI-enabled robotic tiller that can detect and uproot weeds like Palmer amaranth, one of the most invasive weeds in Nebraska, without using chemicals.
Balabantaray used the fellowship to prototype a dual-layer system, one for plant detection using Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and camera vision and another for mechanical weeding. The biggest technical challenge was teaching the robot to recognize weeds at early growth stages, even under inconsistent lighting conditions.
During the 20 weeks, he created a prototype, iterated on sensor setups and improved accuracy with data training.
“We’re preparing to test in real field conditions this summer,” he said. “Eventually, I want to see fleets of these robots working around the clock with just battery swaps.”
The fellowship gave him space to test ideas quickly and access expert guidance on hardware troubleshooting, something not readily available in a traditional academic lab.
Brooke Bode: An innovative way to water cattle
Fourth-generation rancher Brooke Bode came to the Nebraska Innovation Studio with an idea that there had to be a better way to monitor water levels on remote pastures. During the fellowship, she turned that idea into a viable early-stage product, Cattle Kettle, a sensor and software system that alerts ranchers when water supplies run low.
“Cattle can die in as little as two days without water,” Bode said. “But monitoring tanks over a 40-mile radius is time-intensive and expensive.” Cattle Kettle is a solution to help solve this problem.
Her solution uses satellite and cellular communication to transmit alerts from water tanks. The fellowship gave Bode time to rebuild hardware, run cold-weather tests and create a user-friendly web app for ranchers. She also received entrepreneurial coaching that helped her prepare to raise seed funding this summer and apply for Nebraska’s prototype grant.
“I came in with a half-baked idea, and they helped me shape it into something,” she said. “[Now] I want this to be my full-time job.”
Teresa Monsees: Robotic storytelling in American Sign Language
Teresa Monsees, a recent mechanical engineering graduate, used her time in the fellowship to begin developing a robotic learning toy that helps children understand American Sign Language (ASL). The idea was sparked by a problem she wanted to solve — existing toys don’t engage young learners through ASL storytelling.
Her prototype, developed during the fellowship, includes the first part of a robotic hand. The hand is the initial step in creating a doll-like robot with a hand capable of signing the alphabet. In the future, it will pair with companion books to support both deaf and hearing children learning ASL.
Over the 20-week program, she improved the hand’s joint articulation, experimented with 3D-printed parts and added a wrist mechanism for more expressive motion. Monsses plans to continue building and workshopping the hand.
Riley Reynolds: Safer surgical access
With a background in medical robotics, Riley Reynolds developed a prototype for a powered, threaded trocar, an enhanced device used to safely access the abdominal cavity during laparoscopic surgery. Initial access is one of the most dangerous stages of these procedures, and there are more than 4.8 million laparoscopic surgeries in the United States each year.
“Right now, that first incision is often done blindly,” Reynolds said. “My goal is to make it safe, simple and more precise.”
His device uses a drill-like mechanism combined with visualization tools and pressure sensing to guide the trocar into place with control and safety.
Over the course of the fellowship, Reynolds refined the design, explored patent opportunities and worked on a demo for potential investors. He’s now preparing to participate in the National I-Corps program to develop the commercial viability of the device further.
“I got to do it all. Build, learn and have fun,” Reynolds said. “The studio made that possible.”
Building on the momentum
As the first cohort wraps, NIS is already planning for what’s next. Strope said the program, which is entirely self-funded this round, will need new support to grow. While the Heartland Robotics Cluster’s federal grant enabled significant program initiatives and equipment purchases, that funding is now winding down.
The NIS team is seeking additional grants, corporate partnerships and philanthropic funding to sustain the program and expand future cohorts. A new study is also underway to measure how the fellowship impacts skill development, talent retention and community belonging.
“We want to keep telling stories like this,” Strope said. “But we need support from mentors, funders and anyone who believes in building innovation from the ground up.”
For more information about the Nebraska Innovation Fellowship Program or to get involved, visit https://innovationstudio.unl.edu/.