Development of an Autonomous Electric Robot Implement for Intra-Row Weeding in Vineyards

Abstract

Intra-row weeding is a time consuming and challenging task. Therefore, a rotary weeder implement for an autonomous electrical robot was developed. It can be used to remove the weeds of the intra-row area of orchards and vineyards. The hydraulic motor of the conventional tool was replaced by an electric motor and some mechanical parts were refabricated to reduce the overall weight. The side shift, the height and the tilt adjustment were performed by linear electric motors. For detecting the trunk positions, two different methods were evaluated: A conventional electromechanical sensor (feeler) and a sonar sensor. The robot performed autonomous row following based on two dimensional laser scanner data. The robot prototype was evaluated at a forward speed of 0.16 ms−1 and a working depth of 40 mm. The overall performance of the two different trunk detection methods was tested and evaluated for quality and power consumption. The results indicated that an automated intra-row weeding robot could be an alternative solution to actual machinery. The overall performance of the sonar was better than the adjusted feeler in the performed tests. The combination of autonomous navigation and weeding could increase the weeding quality and decrease power consumption in future.

An Extensive Review of Mobile Agricultural Robotics for Field Operations: Focus on Cotton Harvesting

“…Legged robots like AgAnt (Figure 2a) and the Tarzan robot, which swings over the crops on a wire (Figure 2c), are both preferred in wetlands and close inspection of crops and animals. The rack-like [16] weeding robot ( Figure 2d) and Fuji Agricultural robot ( Figure 2f) are preferred in slippery grounds to reduce skidding. Dogtooth (www.dogtooth.tech), which is a strawberry harvesting robot, uses a track in a nominal strawberry growing system because it is a convenient method of navigation in greenhouses.…”

Latest Advances in Sensor Applications in Agriculture

“…Weeding robots can improve work quality, resources management, labor efficiency and reduce energy consumption [11]. The article by Reiser et al [12] is titled "Development of an Autonomous Electric Robot Implement for Intra-Row Weeding in Vineyards". This article reports about developing and testing the performance of a rotating electrical tiller weeder to be used for intra-row weeding automatically in vineyards.…”

Shifting the Paradigm: An Ecological Systems Approach to Weed Management

“…As these new combinations of previous solutions and new technologies for weed management merge, it is important to note that there may be many options available relatively soon. For example, some tools that may be closer to commercial use than expected are spot and spray technology (i.e., H-Sensor (Agricon GmbH, Ostrau, Germany) and See and Spray (Blue River Technology, Sunnyvale, CA, USA)) [99], variable rate applications (both herbicides and irrigation) [100,101], autonomous tractors (concept vehicle by Case IH), targeted tillage [102], unmanned aerial vehicles [103], and robots that target weeds underneath the crop canopy [104][105][106][107]. More unique options that expand on weed recognition [108,109], which itself is still a work in progress, to complementary techniques include tactics, such as laser weeding [110,111], stamping [112], microwaves and radiations [113][114][115], electrical discharge [116], flaming [117][118][119][120], pressurized air [121,122], or solar irradiation [123][124][125], have been tested in the past and are being revisited in light of new technology.…”