Two engineering students awarded Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for grain bin safety robot

Ben Johnson and Zane Zents, seniors in electrical and computer engineering, were awarded the 2021 $10,000 "Eat it!" Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for the Grain Weevil, a grain bin safety and management robot that keeps farmers safe and grain stored efficiently.

The team also includes Johnson's father, Chad,

Work on the Grain Weevil started out as a personal favor to help a farmer friend who did not want to climb into grain bins, and led the team to the creation of a device with the potential to transform the agriculture industry, a novel solution that addresses key issues on farms across the U.S. and the world.