Dr. Saber Miresmailli
Inventions and IP
I remember the day that I dissected my dad´s favorite old camera to figure out how it works! I think I was 11. I did rush to put it back together and I found a few extra parts including couple of lenses and a hand full of screws :) It took me 30 years to build the courage to tell the old man, I was the reason his good old camera stopped working! The curiosity for figuring out how things work morphed into building and designing things over the years and I did not stop making things. If I did not pursue a career in farming, I probably would have become a mechanical engineer or a welder or a carpenter. The joy that building things has given me is indescribable. I might have a PhD but I am not afraid of turning a wrench and getting down and dirty.
A Life time of Innovation
Instruments
Electronic Micro-Sprayer for pesticide application and bioassays, UBC, 2005. I built a device similar to the Potter spray tower for precision pesticide applications. I modified an air brush and used parts from a broken dish washer (valves, coils and tubing) to build an automatic sprayer. I repurposed an old file cabinet and turned it into an enclosed housing for the sprayer. I built a digital controller to control the exposure time and amount. The user can precisely deliver known amounts of pesticides to the targeted area. (Total cost $400 v.s $15,000 for Potter Spray Tower). For detailed description, please see Miresmailli and Isman, J. Econ. Entomol. 2006 and Miresmailli MSc. Thesis.
Field BVOC measurement system, UIUC, 2010 • To study the impact of bioenergy crops’ volatile organic compounds on climate change, I devised a volatile collection system similar to the Eddy Covariance flux measurement towers. I machined steel tubing and inserted mesh screens with special fittings to hold Tenax G adsorbent and installed them on a PVC tube that slid over a metal rod which enabled me to adjust the height. I fitted manual flow meters to control sampling ratio at different heights and connected this system to a sonic radar that allow latent heat and wind velocity monitoring. Using this system, I successfully measured BVOC fluxes within open field in bioenergy agro-ecosystems (Total cost $2000 v.s $150,000 for Eddy tower). For detailed description, please see Miresmailli et al. GCBB 2012.
Protocols
Temporal and spatial volatile movement monitoring protocol, Sumatics LLC, 2012 To study movement of botanical fumigant pesticides inside confined spaces, I invented an original protocol to monitor temporal and spatial movement of volatiles. Details and intellectual property of this invention belongs to Sumatics LLC (Patent pending).
Automated plant volatile collection protocol, UBC, 2006. To study plant’s indirect defense mechanism by emission of herbivore induced plant volatiles (HIPVs), I devised a system similar to automated closed volatile collection chambers (VCC). I used IKEA glass jars and drilled holes into their bottom. I built stand tables and cut circles on their surface with fittings where the jars could be installed upside down. The plants could be inserted in these sealed air tight chambers for volatile sampling. I built a volatile collection system, using household vacuum cleaner pumps, HEPA filter used in hospital air purifiers and food grade tubing and fittings. I managed to create 12 chambers which I used to collect volatiles from plants on Porapak Q adsorbent filters. (Total cost $1200 v.s $35,000 for automated VCC). For detailed description, please see Miresmailli et al. Pest manage. Sci. 2010, 2012.
Patents
United States of America REAL-TIME PROJECTIONS AND ESTIMATED DISTRIBUTIONS OF AGRICULTURAL PESTS, DISEASES, AND BIOCONTROL AGENTS. Granted 11,631,47516/883,354, 2023
United States of America MOBILE PLATFORM FOR CROP MONITORING AND TREATMENT. Allowed, 16/990,212, 2020
United States of America MULTI-SENSOR PLATFORM FOR CROP HEALTH MONITORING. Granted. 10,241,097, 2019
United States of America MULTI-SENSOR PLATFORM FOR CROP HEALTH MONITORING. Granted. 10,871,480, 2020
United States of America SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CROP HEALTH MONITORING, ASSESSMENT AND PREDICTION. Granted. 11,287,411, 2022
Canada MULTI-SENSOR PLATFORM FOR CROP HEALTH MONITORING. Published. 2,937,574, 2022
Canada SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CROP HEALTH MONITORING, ASSESSMENT AND PREDICTION. Published. 2,937,571, 2016
United States of America PLATFORM FOR REAL-TIME IDENTIFICATION AND RESOLUTION OF SPATIAL PRODUCTION ANOMALIES IN AGRICULTURE Granted. 12,131,393, 2024
United States of America REDUCTION OF TIME OF DAY VARIATIONS IN PLANT-RELATED DATA MEASUREMENTS. Published. 17/062,397, 2016
United States of America SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TESTING PLANT GENOTYPE AND PHENOTYPE EXPRESSIONS UNDER VARYING GROWING AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS. Granted. 11,666,004, 2023
United States of America CROP HEALTH MONITORING USING PREDICITVE MODELING. Granted. 11,499,955, 2022
United States of America STEREO-SPATIO-TEMPORAL CROP CONDITION MEASUREMENTS FOR PLANT GROWTH AND HEALTH OPTIMIZATION Granted. 11,925,151, 2024
United States of America DATA PROCESSING PLATFORM FOR ANALYZING STEREO-SPATIO-TEMPORAL CROP CONDITION MEASUREMENTS TO SUPPORT PLANT GROWTH AND HEALTH OPTIMIZATION. Granted. 12,067,711, 2024
United States of America GENERATION OF STEREO-SPATIO-TEMPORAL CROP CONDITION MEASUREMENTS BASED ON HUMAN OBSERVATIONS AND HEIGHT MEASUREMENTS Granted. 11,555,690, 2023
United States of America SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CROP HEALTH MONITORING, ASSESSMENT AND PREDICTION. Published. 17/553,332, 2023
European Patent MOBILE PLATFORM FOR CROP MONITORING AND TREATMENT. Published. 20851590.8, 2020
Mexico MOBILE PLATFORM FOR CROP MONITORING AND TREATMENT Published. MX/a/2022/001788, 2020
United States of America MULTI-SENSOR PLATFORM FOR CROP HEALTH MONITORING. Granted. 11,965,870, 2024
Australia REAL-TIME PROJECTIONS AND ESTIMATED DISTRIBUTIONS OF AGRICULTURAL PESTS, DISEASES, AND BIOCONTROL AGENTS. Published. 2021279215, 2021
Canada REAL-TIME PROJECTIONS AND ESTIMATED DISTRIBUTIONS OF AGRICULTURAL PESTS, DISEASES, AND BIOCONTROL AGENTS. Published. 3,178,928, 2021
European Patent REAL-TIME PROJECTIONS AND ESTIMATED DISTRIBUTIONS OF AGRICULTURAL PESTS, DISEASES, AND BIOCONTROL AGENTS. Published. 21812988.0, 2021
Mexico REAL-TIME PROJECTIONS AND ESTIMATED DISTRIBUTIONS OF AGRICULTURAL PESTS, DISEASES, AND BIOCONTROL AGENTS. Published. MX/a/2022/014919, 2021
United States of America MULTI-SENSOR PLATFORM FOR CROP HEALTH MONITORING. Granted. 12,038,426, 2024
United States of America MULTI-SENSOR PLATFORM FOR CROP HEALTH MONITORING. Granted. 12,111,301, 2024
United States of America MULTI-SENSOR PLATFORM FOR CROP HEALTH MONITORING. Granted. 11,874,265, 2024
United States of America GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE FOR A PLANT SCOUTING MOBILE APPLICATION. Application. 29/868,580, 2022
United States of America REAL-TIME PROJECTIONS AND ESTIMATED DISTRIBUTIONS OF AGRICULTURAL PESTS, DISEASES, AND BIOCONTROL AGENTS. Published. 18/184,787, 2023
Canada PLATFORM FOR REAL-TIME IDENTIFICATION AND RESOLUTION OF SPATIAL PRODUCTION ANOMALIES IN AGRICULTURE. Published. 3,189,676, 2021
European Patent PLATFORM FOR REAL-TIME IDENTIFICATION AND RESOLUTION OF SPATIAL PRODUCTION ANOMALIES IN AGRICULTURE. Published. 21873755.9, 2021
Canada REDUCTION OF TIME OF DAY VARIATIONS IN PLANT-RELATED DATA MEASUREMENTS. Published. 3,189,693, 2021
European Patent REDUCTION OF TIME OF DAY VARIATIONS IN PLANT-RELATED DATA MEASUREMENTS. Published. 21873754.2, 2021
Canada SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TESTING PLANT GENOTYPE AND PHENOTYPE EXPRESSIONS UNDER VARYING GROWING AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS. Published. 3,189,686, 2021
European Patent SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TESTING PLANT GENOTYPE AND PHENOTYPE EXPRESSIONS UNDER VARYING GROWING AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS. Published. 21873753.4, 2021
Canada STEREO-SPATIO-TEMPORAL CROP CONDITION MEASUREMENTS FOR PLANT GROWTH AND HEALTH OPTIMIZATION. Published. 3,190,046, 2021
European Patent STEREO-SPATIO-TEMPORAL CROP CONDITION MEASUREMENTS FOR PLANT GROWTH AND HEALTH OPTIMIZATION. Published. 21890425.8, 2021
Canada DATA PROCESSING PLATFORM FOR ANALYZING STEREO-SPATIO-TEMPORAL CROP CONDITION MEASUREMENTS TO SUPPORT PLANT GROWTH AND HEALTH OPTIMIZATION. Published. 3,190,038, 2021
European Patent DATA PROCESSING PLATFORM FOR ANALYZING STEREO-SPATIO-TEMPORAL CROP CONDITION MEASUREMENTS TO SUPPORT PLANT GROWTH AND HEALTH OPTIMIZATION. Published. 21890426.6, 2021
Canada GENERATION OF STEREO-SPATIO-TEMPORAL CROP CONDITION MEASUREMENTS BASED ON HUMAN OBSERVATIONS AND HEIGHT MEASUREMENTS. Published. 3,190,051, 2021
