Agricultural Engineering

AgBo

AgBo (named after Sony's Aibo) is a flexible robot that was developed by Yoshi Nagasaka (shown right), a Japanese visiting scientist at the department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. The robot is technologically advanced, it features a (SICK ) laser scanner for guidance, fully independent steering which allows for crabbing, spin turns, front/rear and all-wheel steering. All communications among sensors and controllers were implemented using a Controller Area Network CAN ) bus. The small size wheels performed well in dry soils, although larger wheels are needed in muddy conditions. The robot weighs in at 80 kg's and can also be remote controlled which is useful when it needs to be moved around.

Agricultural Robotics is the logical proliferation of automation technology into biosystems such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries, etc. Robots have the advantage of being small, light weight and autonomous. Because of their size they can collect data in close proximity to the crop and soil. Remote sensing only provides overall information, while robotic scouts can give detailed information about the crop such as the presence of diseases, weeds, insect infestations and other stress conditions.
The light weight of the robots is a major advantage, since they do not compact the soil as larger machinery does.

The first generation of robots is developed as crop scouts that collect data in the field. Although the guidance problem is solved, the required sensors are still under development. Cameras are used to detect weeds, and larger scale sensors are being developed to detect crop stresses and disease. Insect activity sensors and most soil sensors are still on the drawing board.

The second generation of robots will be able to perform field operations such as mechanical weeding and micro spraying, a method where instead of applying large quantities of spray in an inefficient way, small amounts of high concentration chemical could be directly applied to weed plants. All operations that are currently performed in the field can be done with robots, preferably of smaller size and lower cost. Planting, seedbed preparation, spraying, cultivation are all possible with smaller robots using GPS guidance. The only operation that still requires large machinery and capacity is harvesting. This operation will most likely be performed with large robots that resemble current equipment.

The third generation of robots will be as part of a fully autonomous crop production system. This futuristic farm idea is similar to "Houses of the Future" which are abundant, the first one was offered by Monsanto Corporation at California's Disneyland in 1957. The idea behind these futuristic houses is to show how modern technology can contribute to comfort, materials and energy savings, durability and enjoyment of our living spaces. One wonders what the Farm of the Future would look like. Modern technology such as GPS and the much more accurate European counterpart Galileo will deliver affordable and cm precision navigation of vehicles. Sensors will provide real time information about the status of the crop and computer software and data fusion techniques will help to digest the data into management decisions. Robots will roam the fields to care for the plants individually.

The Farm of the Future will provide a playground where universities and companies can work together to demonstrate the potential of technology and the general public will have direct access to it.

AgTracker was developed by Matthias Kasten, a German exchange student through IAESTE . AgTracker is a much simpler robot than AgBo, it was targeted at low cost (<$500). It features simple skid steering with only two motors and is guided by a set of 8 infrared rangers and an absolute electronic compass . The robot is very stable and turns well in soils even under muddy conditions. AgTracker is controlled by a BasicATOM40-M microcontroller, which also takes care of the remote control interfacing.

more info

http://abe-research.illinois.edu