| Company type | Nonprofit |
|---|---|
| Industry | Research and Development Engineering Science |
| Founded | Atlanta, Georgia (1973) |
| Headquarters | , USA |
Key people | Gary McMurray Division Chief, ISTD Doug Britton Associate Division Chief, ISTD; ATRP Program Manager |
| Parent | Georgia Tech Research Institute |
| Website | www.atrp.gatech.edu |
The Agricultural Technology Research Program (ATRP) is part of the Aerospace, Transportation and Advanced Systems Laboratory of the Georgia Tech Research Institute. It was founded in 1973 to work with Georgia agribusiness, especially the poultry industry, to develop new technologies and adapt existing ones for specialized industrial needs.[1] The program's goal is to improve productivity, reduce costs, and enhance safety and health through technological innovations.
ATRP conducts state-sponsored and contract research for industry and government agencies. Researchers focus efforts on both immediate and long-term industrial needs, including advanced robotic systems for materials handling, machine-vision developments for grading and control, improved wastewater treatment technologies, and biosensors for rapid microbial detection. With guidance from the Georgia Poultry Federation, ATRP also conducts a variety of outreach activities to provide the industry with timely information and technical assistance. Researchers have complementary backgrounds in mechanical, electrical, computer, environmental, and safety engineering; physics; and microbiology.
ATRP is one of the oldest and largest agricultural technology research and development programs in the nation, and is conducted in cooperation with the Georgia Poultry Federation with funding from the Georgia General Assembly.[2]