POP Talks 2025: Building robots and breaking barriers at U of I
Join John C. Shovic as he discusses how creativity, collaboration and a little chaos drive discovery
BY University of Idaho
Photography by Melissa Hartley and Leah Reitcheck; Videography by Visual Production
November 20, 2025
Can failure drive innovation?
At University of Idaho, Robotics Professor and Director of the Center for Intelligent Industrial Robotics John C. Shovic is proving it can.
In this POP Talk, Shovic explores how failure sparks creativity and drives discovery. From AI-powered robots that weed forests to advanced automation tools reshaping manufacturing, Shovic and his team are redefining what’s possible — one experiment (and one mistake) at a time.
How failure fuels innovation | POP Talks
At University of Idaho’s Center for Intelligent Industrial Robotics, we celebrate innovation, community and glorious destruction — with 40 robots, a “sentient” pinball machine and an award for breaking things brilliantly.
John C. Shovic, Ph.D., robotics and artificial intelligence
Shovic and his team are turning University of Idaho Coeur d’Alene into a powerhouse for industrial robotics, automation and AI in manufacturing. One of the projects he leads is Project Evergreen, teaching autonomous robots to zap weeds in U.S. Forest Service tree nurseries. His research team is working with a number of companies to bring new AI techniques to improve productivity, analyze defects and minimize plant shutdowns.
The Center fuses embedded systems with machine vision, builds predictive models for plant disease outbreaks and develops robotics solutions for precision agriculture. It’s a blend of high-tech innovation and environmental stewardship that’s already starting to reshape how we care for our forests and crops and manufacture our products.
POP Talks — Power of Possibility
University of Idaho research reaches far beyond our campuses — it shapes the world. POP Talks — Power of Possibility Talks — annually spotlights eight faculty whose discoveries address global challenges in health, sustainability, technology and society. These presentations reveal how innovative ideas born in Idaho ripple across continents, improving lives and inspiring change. The audience joins the presenters for an hour of bold thinking and transformative research that proves possibility knows no borders.