This project addresses a critical challenge in agriculture: the difficulty of efficiently managing grain storage bins, while also improving safety

Premier Design Innovations LLC received a $124,586 Project Grant award dated August 15, 2025, from the Institute of Food Production and Sustainability under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program (CFDA 10.212) to develop an automated device designed to improve grain storage management and enhance worker safety. The company will design, prototype, and evaluate an innovative system capable of navigating within grain bins to manage stored grains including corn, soybeans, wheat, and milo. The device will address critical operational challenges such as grain clumping, uneven flow, and material bridging while significantly reducing the need for farmers to enter hazardous bin environments where fatal accidents frequently occur. The project will utilize advanced computer modeling, physical prototypes, and real-world testing to validate performance across different conditions and grain types, with an expected completion date of April 14, 2026.

This Phase I SBIR award supports the transformation of the proposed innovation from concept into a commercially viable agricultural technology. By automating grain flow management, the resulting device is intended to enhance operational efficiency, reduce labor costs, and substantially mitigate the risk of grain bin-related injuries and fatalities while supporting broader impacts on food security, agricultural sustainability, and rural economic development.

Farmers often face problems such as grain clumping, uneven flow, and grain becoming stuck in the bins, leading to potential losses, longer labor hours, and increased costs. More importantly, entering grain bins to address these issues can be extremely dangerous. Grain BIN accidents, including suffocation and entrapment, are tragically common, and preventing these fatalities is a key concern. This project aims to reduce the need for farmers to enter these hazardous environments by developing a device that can move through grain bins to improve grain flow, manage clumping, and prevent material from becoming stuck. Addressing these challenges will not only help farmers by improving efficiency and reducing labor but also reduce the risk of grain BIN fatalities, making the work environment safer. This solution will have a broader impact on the agricultural industry, food security, and the community, while supporting the economy and promoting sustainability. The project focuses on designing and evaluating an innovative device capable of navigating within grain bins to manage stored grains like corn, soybeans, wheat, and milo. This automated system will reduce the need for manual intervention, especially in dangerous situations where farmers would typically enter the BIN to address issues with grain flow. The device will be developed using advanced computer modeling, physical prototypes, and real-world testing to ensure its performance under different conditions and with various grain types. By refining the device's design, the project will ensure that IT operates safely and efficiently, significantly reducing the risk of injury to farmers and making grain storage management safer and more effective. The goal of the project is to create a reliable, automated device that can improve grain storage practices by preventing grain from clumping or becoming stuck, while also keeping farmers out of harm's way. This technology will reduce labor costs, increase efficiency, and prevent fatalities associated with grain BIN accidents. In the larger context, IT will promote sustainability by reducing waste and improving food security. By minimizing the need for farmers to enter bins, this device will not only improve productivity but also contribute to safer working conditions, benefiting both the agricultural industry and the broader community. In summary, this project has the potential to transform grain BIN management by increasing safety, reducing grain waste, and promoting more efficient and sustainable practices across the agricultural sector.