Agricultural Robot under Solar Panels for Sowing, Pruning, and Harvesting in a Synecoculture Environment

Abstract

Currently, an agricultural method called SynecocultureTM has been receiving attention as a means for multiple crop production and recovering from environmental degradation; it helps in regreening the environment and establishing an augmented ecosystem with high biodiversity. In this method, several types of plants are grown densely, and their management relies mainly on manual labor, since conventional agricultural machines and robots cannot be applied in complex vegetation. To improve work efficiency and boost regreening by scaling-up Synecoculture, we developed a robot that can sow, prune, and harvest in dense and diverse vegetation that grows under solar panels, towards the achievement of compatibility between food and energy production on a large scale. We adopted a four-wheel mechanism with sufficient ability to move on uneven terrain, and a two orthogonal axes mechanism with adjusted tool positioning while performing management tasks. In the field experiment, the robot could move straight on shelving slopes and overcome obstacles, such as small steps and weeds, and succeeded in harvesting and weeding with human operation, using the tool maneuver mechanism based on the recognition of the field situation through camera image.

Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and Drones in Solar Photovoltaic Energy Applications—Safe Autonomy Perspective

“…There exist several autonomous RAID applications in solar photovoltaics, ranging from solar cell wafer production to cell arrangement to form a solar module, mechanical testing of the final product before packaging, packaging, installation, and maintenance [29,[38][39][40][41]. As mentioned earlier, on a frequent basis, the safety protocols are implemented as best understood by the company utilizing the application or solely based on the device manual.…”

Advanced Technologies and Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture

“…However, drones have distinct advantages in monitoring and control operations due to their mobility. On the other hand, autonomous platforms find their ideal application in executing agrotechnical operations, such as planting [52], harvesting [4], fertilization [53], pruning [54], weeding [55], watering [100], hilling, etc. While fully automated devices are relatively rare, partly automated ones are more prevalent.…”

“…The Internet of Things and sensors provide farmers with real-time information on soil parameters, temperature, gases in the air, weather conditions, and many other parameters, which are often passed to cloud infrastructures and can then be used for analysis and prediction [48][49][50][51]. Autonomous platforms (robots, unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs)) and tractors can execute warehouse operations, as well as carry out common farming operations such as planting [52], fertilization [53], pruning [54], weeding [55], hilling, and crop condition monitoring [56][57][58]. When it comes to greenhouse farming, navigation becomes challenging, limiting the application of UAVs and setting specific requirements for autonomous platforms, such as moving on different types of surfaces, working in different light conditions, and processing high-resolution imagery [59][60][61][62].…”

A Mobile Laboratory Robot for Various and Precise Measurements of Crops and Soil in Agricultural Fields: Development and Pilot Study

“…Determining whether crop growth is appropriate requires a crop growth model, which can be developed using various factors (such as crop leaf area) [9]. Research on robots with measurement functions, including crop imaging, uses unmanned aerial vehicles [10][11][12] and unmanned ground vehicles [13][14][15][16][17][18].…”