| This thesis discusses the design of an autonomous agricultural robot, including its mechanical components, autonomous navigation system, and waypoint path planning algorithm. Thisautonomous robot is a prototype and a test platform that can navigate to potato plants previously identified as infected with Potato Virus Y (PVY). This prototype is the first step leading up to a larger, full scale, field-ready robot that will be equipped with an advanced robotic arm for plant removal. This prototype is in-line with emerging technologies in the field of precision agriculture. The navigation system is based on a Pixhawk⢠microcontroller and a Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) GPS module. This thesis also covers in detail the mechanical and electrical subsystems of the prototype. Due to potato field size and PVY prevalence, an adjustment to popular optimization algorithms is explored to find the shortest route between each identified sick plant in acenter-pivot-irrigated field.KeywordsNavigation, Obstacle Avoidance, Agricultural Robot, Autonomous Ground Vehicle, RTK GPS, Pixhawk, Traveling Salesman Problem, Precision Agriculture |