DOCSLIB.ORG

Agricultural Robotics: the Future of Robotic Agriculture

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Agricultural Robotics: the Future of Robotic Agriculture UK-RAS White papers © UK-RAS 2018 ISSN 2398-4422 DOI 10.31256/WP2018.2 Agricultural Robotics: The Future of Robotic Agriculture www.ukras.org // Agricultural Robotics Agricultural Robotics // UKRAS.ORG // Agricultural Robotics FOREWORD Welcome to the UK-RAS White Paper the automotive and aerospace sectors wider community and stakeholders, as well Series on Robotics and Autonomous combined. Agri-tech companies are already as policy makers, in assessing the potential Systems (RAS). This is one of the core working closely with UK farmers, using social, economic and ethical/legal impact of activities of UK-RAS Network, funded by technology, particularly robotics and AI, to RAS in agriculture. the Engineering and Physical Sciences help create new technologies and herald Research Council (EPSRC). new innovations. This is a truly exciting It is our plan to provide annual updates time for the industry as there is a growing for these white papers so your feedback By bringing together academic centres of recognition that the significant challenges is essential - whether it is to point out excellence, industry, government, funding facing global agriculture represent unique inadvertent omissions of specific areas of bodies and charities, the Network provides opportunities for innovation, investment and development that need to covered, or to academic leadership, expands collaboration commercial growth. suggest major future trends that deserve with industry while integrating and further debate and in-depth analysis. Please coordinating activities at EPSRC funded This white paper aims to provide an direct all your feedback to whitepaper@ RAS capital facilities, Centres for Doctoral overview of the current impact and ukras.org. We look forward to hearing Training and partner universities. challenges facing Agri-tech, as well as from you! associated ethical considerations. We hope The recent commitment of a £90million the paper will provide the reader with an investment by the government overview of the current trends, technological (Transforming Food Production Challenge advances, as well as barriers that may through the Industrial Strategy) supports the impede the sector’s full potential. We have idea that Agri-tech is a burgeoning market, included recommendations to some of the and we are proud to be exploring the use of challenges identified and hope this paper robotics in this important sector, employing provides a basis for discussing the future Prof Guang-Zhong Yang, CBE, FREng almost 4 million people and larger than technological roadmaps, engaging the Chairman, UK-RAS Network Tom Duckett, Simon Pearson, Simon Blackmore Bruce Grieve, University of Lincoln, University of Lincoln, Harper Adams University, University of Manchester, [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Contributions: Wen-Hua Chen (Loughborough University), Grzegorz Cielniak (University of Lincoln), Jason Cleaversmith (Akva Group Scotland), Jian Dai (King’s College London), Steve Davis (University of Salford), Charles Fox (University of Lincoln), Pål From (University of Lincoln), Ioannis Georgilas (University of Bath), Richie Gill (University of Bath), Iain Gould (University of Lincoln), Marc Hanheide (University of Lincoln), Alan Hunter (University of Bath), Fumiya Iida (Cambridge University), Lyudmila Mihalyova (Sheffield University), Samia Nefti-Meziani (University of Salford), Gerhard Neumann (University of Lincoln), Paolo Paoletti (University of Liverpool), Tony Pridmore (University of Nottingham), Dave Ross (Scotland’s Rural College), Melvyn Smith (University of the West of England), Martin Stoelen (University of Plymouth), Mark Swainson (University of Lincoln), Sam Wane (Harper Adams University), Peter Wilson (University of Bath), Isobel Wright (University of Lincoln). Agricultural Robotics // EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Agri-Food is the largest manufacturing within the domain. However, there are important for Agri-Food since success sector in the UK. It supports a food chain particular barriers to overcome to secure in the sector requires highly complex that generates over £108bn p.a., with 3.9m this vision: cross-disciplinary activity. Furthermore, employees in a truly international industry within UKRI many of the Research 1. The UK RAS community with an and exports £20bn of UK manufactured Councils and Innovate UK directly fund interest in Agri-Food is small and highly goods. However, the global food chain is different aspects of Agri-Food, but as yet dispersed. There is an urgent need under pressure from population growth, there is no coordinated and integrated to defragment and then expand the climate change, political pressures affecting Agri-Food research policy per se. community. migration, population drift from rural to Our vision is a new generation of smart, urban regions and the demographics of an 2. The UK RAS community has no specific flexible, robust, compliant, interconnected aging global population. These challenges training paths or Centres for Doctoral robotic and autonomous systems working are recognised in the UK Industrial Strategy Training to provide trained human seamlessly alongside their human co- white paper and backed by significant resource capacity within Agri-Food. workers in farms and food factories. Teams investment via a Wave 2 Industrial of multi-modal, interoperable robotic Challenge Fund Investment (“Transforming 3. While there has been substantial systems will self-organise and coordinate Food Production: from Farm to Fork”). government investment in translational their activities with the “human in the Robotics and Autonomous Systems activities at high Technology Readiness loop”. Electric farm and factory robots with (RAS) and associated digital technologies Levels (TRLs), there is insufficient interchangeable tools, including low-tillage are now seen as enablers of this critical ongoing basic research in Agri-Food solutions, soft robotic grasping technologies food chain transformation. To meet these RAS at low TRLs to underpin onward and sensors, will support the sustainable challenges, this white paper reviews the innovation delivery for industry. intensification of agriculture, drive state of the art in the application of RAS in 4. There is a concern that RAS for Agri- manufacturing productivity and underpin Agri-Food production and explores research Food is not realising its full potential, future food security. and innovation needs to ensure these as the projects being commissioned technologies reach their full potential currently are too few and too small- To deliver this vision the research and and deliver the necessary impacts in the scale. RAS challenges often involve the innovation needs include the development Agri-Food sector. complex integration of multiple discrete of robust robotic platforms, suited to agricultural environments, and improved The opportunities for RAS range include; technologies (e.g. navigation, safe capabilities for sensing and perception, the development of field robots that can operation, grasping and manipulation, planning and coordination, manipulation assist workers by carrying payloads and perception). There is a need to further and grasping, learning and adaptation, conduct agricultural operations such as develop these discrete technologies interoperability between robots and existing crop and animal sensing, weeding and but also to deliver large-scale industrial machinery, and human-robot collaboration, drilling; integration of autonomous applications that resolve integration including the key issues of safety and user systems technologies into existing farm and interoperability issues. The UK acceptance. operational equipment such as tractors; community needs to undertake a few well-chosen large-scale and robotic systems to harvest crops and Technology adoption is likely to occur in collaborative “moon shot” projects. conduct complex dextrous operations; measured steps. Most farmers and food the use of collaborative and “human in 5. The successful delivery of RAS producers will need technologies that the loop” robotic applications to augment projects within Agri-Food requires can be introduced gradually, alongside worker productivity; advanced robotic close collaboration between the RAS and within their existing production applications, including the use of soft community and with academic and systems. Thus, for the foreseeable future, robotics, to drive productivity beyond industry practitioners. For example, humans and robots will frequently operate the farm gate into the factory and retail the breeding of crops with novel collaboratively to perform tasks, and that environment; and increasing the levels of phenotypes, such as fruits which are collaboration must be safe. There will be automation and reducing the reliance on easy to see and pick by robots, may a transition period in which humans and human labour and skill sets, for example, simplify and accelerate the application of robots work together as first simple and in farming management, planning and RAS technologies. Therefore, there is an then more complex parts of work are decision making. urgent need to seek new ways to create conducted by robots, driving productivity and enabling human jobs to move up the RAS technology has the potential to RAS and Agri-Food domain networks value chain. transform food production and the UK has that can work collaboratively to address an opportunity to establish global leadership key challenges. This is especially // Agricultural
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Urban Agriculture
    GSDR 2015 Brief Urban Agriculture By Ibrahim Game and Richaela Primus, State University of New York College of Forestry and Environmental Science Related Sustainable Development Goals Goal 01 End poverty in all its forms everywhere (1.1, 1.4, 1.5 ) Goal 02 End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture (2.1, 2.3, 2.4, 2.c) Goal 12 Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns (12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 12.4,12.5, 12.7, 12.8) Goal 15 Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss (15.9 ) *The views and opinions expressed are the authors’ and do not represent those of the Secretariat of the United Nations. Online publication or dissemination does not imply endorsement by the United Nations. Authors can be reached at [email protected] and [email protected]. Introduction Examples of UEA include community gardens, vegetable gardens and rooftop farms, which exist Urban Agriculture (UA) and peri-urban agriculture can worldwide and are playing important roles in the urban be defined as the growing, processing, and distribution food systems. 17 CEA includes any form of agriculture of food and other products through plant cultivation where environmental conditions (such as, light, and seldom raising livestock in and around cities for temperature, humidity, radiation and nutrient cycling) 1 2 feeding local populations. Over the last few years, are controlled in conjunction with urban architecture UA has increased in popularity due to concerns about or green infrastructure.
    [Show full text]
  • 12Things You Need to Know to Garden Successfully with Aquaponics
    12Things You Need to Know to Garden Successfully With Aquaponics CONTACT US [email protected] Website Blog Facebook Twitter Community YouTube Introduction Aquaponics is an exciting new way to grow your favorite fruits, vegetables, and ornamental plants by combining the best of aquaculture and hydroponics to create a completely organic, sustainable and productive growing method. This method can be used both inside and out, it is dirt- free, weed-free, chemical-free, and it uses less than 1/10 the water needed by traditional, soil-based gardening. In aquaponic gardening water is pumped from the fish tank into a grow bed that is filled with an inert growing medium. The medium is home to colonies of beneficial bacteria and composting red worms. The bacteria converts the toxic ammonia from the fish waste first into nitrites then into nitrates, and the worms convert the solid waste into vermicomost. At this point the fish waste has become a near-perfect food for the plants. The plants now filter the water by absorbing the converted fish waste, making a healthier environement for the fish. This symbiotic relationship between the plants, fish, and bacteria / worms creates an environment where all the living elements thrive. This article is a guide to some of what you need to know to grow plants and fish successfully in a media-based aquaponic system. It is not intended to be comprehensive, but rather is a high level overview of some of the basic things you need to know in order to start an aquaponics system of your own. We will go into more depth on each of these subject in upcoming newsletters, so watch for them in your inbox! We are passionate about aquaponic gardening here at The Aquaponic Source™, and we hope that you will find a passion for aquaponic gardening gardening as well.
    [Show full text]
  • Urban Agriculture: Long-Term Strategy Or Impossible Dream? Lessons from Prospect Farm in Brooklyn, New York
    public health 129 (2015) 336e341 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Public Health journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/puhe Original Research Urban agriculture: long-term strategy or impossible dream? Lessons from Prospect Farm in Brooklyn, New York * T. Angotti a,b, a Urban Affairs & Planning at Hunter College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York, USA b Prospect Farm in Brooklyn, New York, USA article info abstract Article history: Proponents of urban agriculture have identified its potential to improve health and the Available online 25 February 2015 environment but in New York City and other densely developed and populated urban areas, it faces huge challenges because of the shortage of space, cost of land, and the lack Keywords: of contemporary local food production. However, large portions of the city and metro- Urban agriculture politan region do have open land and a history of agricultural production in the not-too- Land use policy distant past. Local food movements and concerns about food security have sparked a Community development growing interest in urban farming. Policies in other sectors to address diet-related ill- Food safety nesses, environmental quality and climate change may also provide opportunities to Climate change expand urban farming. Nevertheless, for any major advances in urban agriculture, sig- nificant changes in local and regional land use policies are needed. These do not appear to be forthcoming any time soon unless food movements amplify their voices in local and national food policy. Based on his experiences as founder of a small farm in Brooklyn, New York and his engagement with local food movements, the author analyzes obstacles and opportunities for expanding urban agriculture in New York.
    [Show full text]
  • The Origin of Agriculture.Pdf
    The Origin & History of Agriculture 5. The realization of choice plants growing near camp could have led to experimental “farming”. With more and more successes they could have cultivated more and more plants. From earliest times human distributions have been correlated with the distribution of plants. The history and development of agriculture is intimately related to the development of civilization. For last 6. They became increasingly dependent on such activities. Staying in one place also meant fewer 30-40,000 yrs (advent of cromagnon) very little physical evolution is evident in fossil record but there hazards, more leisure time, greater population size and a much more sedentary lifestyle. has been tremendous cultural evolution. The advent of stationary human societies and consequent development of civilization were possible only after the establishment of agriculture. Humans did not 7. Such sedentary lifestyle would have promoted other important changes: the accumulation of “put down roots” and remain in one place until they learned to cultivate the land and collect and store material goods, a division of labor, not everyone needed to be farmers, people became agricultural crops. The origin of agriculture provided “release time” for the development of art, specialists as potters, weavers, tanners, artisans and scholars writing, culture and technology. 8. Biological evolution was supersceded by “cultural” evolution; advanced civilizations rapidly Hunter Gatherers evolved The earliest humans lived in small bands of several families (up to 50 or so). For over a million years Earliest Agriculture (paleolithic or old stone age) humans obtained food by hunting wild animals and gathering plants. They depended almost completely on the local environment for their sustenance.
    [Show full text]
  • Perennial Polyculture Farming: Seeds of Another Agricultural Revolution?
    THE ARTS This PDF document was made available from www.rand.org as a public CHILD POLICY service of the RAND Corporation. CIVIL JUSTICE EDUCATION Jump down to document ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT 6 HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit research NATIONAL SECURITY POPULATION AND AGING organization providing objective analysis and effective PUBLIC SAFETY solutions that address the challenges facing the public SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY and private sectors around the world. SUBSTANCE ABUSE TERRORISM AND HOMELAND SECURITY TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE Support RAND WORKFORCE AND WORKPLACE Browse Books & Publications Make a charitable contribution For More Information Visit RAND at www.rand.org Explore RAND Pardee Center View document details Limited Electronic Distribution Rights This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law as indicated in a notice appearing later in this work. This electronic representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for non- commercial use only. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of our research documents for commercial use. This product is part of the RAND Corporation occasional paper series. RAND occasional papers may include an informed perspective on a timely policy issue, a discussion of new research methodologies, essays, a paper presented at a conference, a conference summary, or a summary of work in progress. All RAND occasional papers undergo rigorous peer review to ensure that they meet high standards for research quality and objectivity. Perennial Polyculture Farming Seeds of Another Agricultural Revolution? James A. Dewar This research was undertaken as a piece of speculation in the RAND Frederick S.
    [Show full text]
  • Corn Monoculture: No Friend of Biodiversity
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Journalism & Mass Communications: Student Journalism and Mass Communications, College Media of Fall 2008 Corn Monoculture: No Friend of Biodiversity Aaron E. Price University of Nebraska - Lincoln Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/journalismstudent Part of the Journalism Studies Commons Price, Aaron E., "Corn Monoculture: No Friend of Biodiversity" (2008). Journalism & Mass Communications: Student Media. 16. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/journalismstudent/16 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journalism and Mass Communications, College of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journalism & Mass Communications: Student Media by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. ine-Mile Prairie near Lincoln, Neb., is a tat — might be planted to corn, a crop that does lit- biodiversity goldmine. Big bluestem, lit- tle to support biodiversity. CORN MONOCULTURE tle bluestem and sawtooth sunflowers “I think it’s a real mistake to be plowing up Nsprinkle the landscape. Red-winged ground in CRP and, even worse, plowing up native blackbirds, eastern phoebes and northern blue jays prairie in the big rush for corn ethanol,”said former sing their unique songs. With little human distur- U.S. Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt at a no friend of bance, forces of nature have, for centuries, built speech in Lincoln in April 2008. complex interactions of wildlife, plant and soil “I think the biggest environmental threat I see is communities in this 230-acre prairie. taking cropland that was in set- aside programs and In 2008, Nine-Mile Prairie provides habitat for moving it back into production agriculture,” said 80 species of birds and 350 plant species, including Dave Wedin, University of Nebraska – Lincoln ecol- BIODIVERSITY the endangered prairie fringed orchid.
    [Show full text]
  • Sustainable Development: Intercropping for Agricultural Production
    Session 3551 Sustainable Development: Intercropping for Agricultural Production Saeed D. Foroudastan, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Olivia Dees, Research Assistant Engineering Technology and Industrial Studies Department Middle Tennessee State University Abstract The damaging effects of monoculture threaten the sustainability of our world. Genetic engineering, or biotechnology, gravely endangers the future integrity of genes with possible unforeseen mutations. For example, Monsanto has created a terminator technology that will not allow farmers to reproduce their own plants from secondary seeds. This minimizes the diversity of plant crop varieties by which farmers have relied upon for centuries. Biotechnology may thereby cause irreparable damage to the sustainability of the world’s food supply. Although all biotechnology is not wrongful, most genetically engineered crops are potentially so dangerous that even insurance companies will not cover farmers that use them. Furthermore, the introduction of patent clone seeds will undermine the ability of rural farmers to compete for survival by raising prices on conventional seeds. This corners decision making into acceptance of the same crop cultivation. Environmental effects are devastating as more pesticides and herbicides are used for these plants, and resistant pests may abound. In addition, exponential population growth in cities presents the problem of land availability. The trick is to make the maximum use of space while balancing the environment. The beauty of intercropping is that many types exist so that specialization for different climates and terrain may be applied to a particular region. Research shows successful results with intercropping. Organic farmers often have superior net cash returns, making it a feasible option for mass production.
    [Show full text]
  • History of Agriculture.Pdf
    Origin of Agriculture for over 1 M years (paleolithic or old stone age) from earliest times human distributions have been humans obtained food by hunting wild animals and correlated with the distribution of plants gathering plants the history and development of agriculture is depended almost completely on the local environment intimately related to the development of civilization such hunter gathering societies existed extensively until 10,000 yrs ago for last 30-40,000 yrs (advent of cromagnon) very !a few isolated groups continue to this day little physical evolution is evident in fossil record Paleolithic cultures were nomadic by necessity but tremendous cultural evolution wandered as small family groups in search of the advent of stationary human societies and game and edible plants consequent development of civilization were meat was their primary source of protein possible only after the establishment of agriculture sugars & many vitamins were provided by fruits & humans did not “put down roots” and remain in berries one place until they learned to cultivate the starches from roots and seed land and collect and store agricultural crops oils and vitamins from nuts the origin of agriculture provided “release time” for as seasons changed, nomadic peoples moved on the development of art, writing, culture, followed game, gathering plants available technology, etc Origin & History of Agriculture Hunter Gatherers agriculture seems to have arisen in temperate regions the earliest humans lived in small bands of several before it showed up in the tropics families (up to 50 or so) ! no shortage of food in tropics Human Ecology: Agricultural Resources; Ziser Lecture Notes, 2009 1 Human Ecology: Agricultural Resources; Ziser Lecture Notes, 2009 2 most ancestors of domesticated crops come from 3.
    [Show full text]
  • Connecting with Agriculture and Food Systems
    Guide to Expanding Mitigation CONNECTING WITH AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SYSTEMS REGION 10 The Guide to Expanding Mitigation: Connecting with Agriculture and Food Systems can help community officials create effective connections with individuals and businesses in this critical sector. The guide is designed to improve understanding, preparation and planning for hazard events by local officials. This guide also gives community and tribal leaders information Local, fresh food is a priority in this region. Restaurants boast farm-to- they need to: table entrees. Weekly farmers markets pop up throughout rural and urban • Begin conversations. neighborhoods. Dockside fish markets dot our coastlines. The agriculture and food sector is important to local economies. Food is essential, yet • Build partnerships. communities in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington often overlook • Plan for and invest in mitigation projects. risks affecting the local food system when they plan for natural hazards. These steps can increase the resilience of local and regional Acting to mitigate the risks of future disaster events increases community food systems. resilience. It can also protect the vital local resources where people farm, ranch, fish, hunt and gather food. Communities and tribes should include members of the food systems network in their hazard mitigation planning process to better understand and address this sector’s key challenges through resilience-based efforts. CONTENTS Agriculture and Food Production in Our Region .................................................... 3 WHAT ARE FOOD SYSTEMS? Engaging Agriculture and Food Production Partners in Mitigation Planning .... 6 According to the American Planning Association, they are a geographically Food System Risk and Vulnerability Analysis ......................................................12 integrated chain of activities that connect the production, processing, distribution Agriculture and Working Landscapes Enhance Resilience ...............................
    [Show full text]
  • Genetically Engineered Trees
    Global Justice Ecology Project Global Forest Coalition Central Office International secretariat PO Box 412 2e Schinkelstraat 134 Hinesburg, VT 05461 1075 TT Amsterdam USA The Netherlands Phone +1.802.482.2689 Tel 6 239 132 17 / fax 3120 6765870 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.globalforestcoalition.org Website: www.globaljusticeecology.org Genetically Engineered Trees: Some Answers to Frequently Asked Questions May 10, 2008 Anne Petermann, Co-Director Global Justice Ecology Project [email protected] The purpose of this paper is to provide accurate, independent and verifiable information regarding the potential impacts of the commercial release of genetically engineered trees into the environment. What is the Point of Genetically Engineering Trees? As the world’s supply of wood from native forests is rapidly depleted, rapidly increasing demand for wood products, not only for paper, but also for biofuels, is leading to a skyrocketing demand for raw materials. This is providing the pulp and paper industry with the impetus to link up with the biotechnology industry, the fuel industry and the chemical industry to engineer trees for traits that will enhance the manufacture of these materials and increase industry profits. Industry and their scientist allies are painting this new technology as the answer to many environmental concerns, from forest decline, to pollution from paper mills, to the use of chemicals in forestry plantations.1 As we shall see, however, GE trees are anything but “green” and in fact pose what many consider to be the most serious threat to the world’s remaining native forests since the invention of the chainsaw.
    [Show full text]
  • INTERCROPPING Proceedings of the Second Symposium on Intercropping in Semi-Arid Areas, Held at Morogoro, Tanzania, 4-7 August 1980 INTERCROPPING
    IDRC-186e INTERCROPPING Proceedings of the Second Symposium on Intercropping in Semi-Arid Areas, held at Morogoro, Tanzania, 4-7 August 1980 INTERCROPPING Proceedings of the Second Symposium on Intercropping in Semi-Arid Areas, held at Morogoro, Tanzania, 4-7 August 1980 Editors: C.L. Keswani and B.J. Ndunguru University of Dar es Salaam Tanzania National Scientific Research Council International Development Research Centre The International Development Research Centre is a public corporation created by the Parliament of Canada in 1970 to support research designed to adapt science and technology to the needs of developing countries. The Centre's activity is concentrated in five sectors: agriculture, food and nutrition sciences; health sciences; information sciences; social sciences; and com- munications. IDRC is financed solely by the Parliament of Canada; its policies, however, are set by an international Board of Governors. The Centre's headquarters are in Ottawa, Canada. Regional offices are located in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. ©1982 International Development Research Centre Postal Address: Box 8500, Ottawa, Canada K1G 3H9 Head Office: 60 Queen Street, Ottawa Keswani, C.L. Ndunguru, B.J. University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam TZ Tanzania National Scientific Research Council, Dar es Salaam TZ International Development Research Centre, Ottawa CA IDRC-186e Intercropping : proceedings of the Second Symposium on Intercropping in Semi-Arid Areas, held at Morogoro, Tanzania, 4-7 August, 1980. Ottawa, Ont., IDRC, 1982. 168 p. : ill. /Intercropping/, /semi-arid zone/-/agricultural research/, /Africa/, /culti- vation practices/, /plant breeding/, /plant protection/, /crop yield/, /research results/, /research methods/. UDC: 631.584(213) ISBN: 0-88936-318-8 Microfiche edition available Contents Foreword R.
    [Show full text]
  • The Robotanist: a Ground-Based Agricultural Robot for High-Throughput Crop Phenotyping
    The Robotanist: A Ground-Based Agricultural Robot for High-Throughput Crop Phenotyping Tim Mueller-Sim, Merritt Jenkins, Justin Abel, and George Kantor Abstract— The established processes for measuring phys- iological and morphological traits (phenotypes) of crops in outdoor test plots are labor intensive and error-prone. Low-cost, reliable, field-based robotic phenotyping will enable geneticists to more easily map genotypes to phenotypes, which in turn will improve crop yields. In this paper, we present a novel robotic ground-based platform capable of autonomously navigating below the canopy of row crops such as sorghum or corn. The robot is also capable of deploying a manipulator to measure plant stalk strength and gathering phenotypic data with a modular array of non-contact sensors. We present data obtained from deployments to Sorghum bicolor test plots at various sites in South Carolina, USA. I. INTRODUCTION Plant phenotyping is a critical step in the process of breed- ing crops for higher yield, disease resistance, drought tol- erance, and other desirable traits. Plant genome researchers must empirically confirm that new cross-breeds exhibit asso- ciated phenotypes, such as stalk width, leaf area, leaf angle, and color. Unfortunately, the rate at which these associations are measured and analyzed is slower than the rate of plant genome research. Fig. 1. The Robotanist in sorghum breeding plots near Clemson, SC. This deficiency is well-recognized by the scientific com- • munity, which has deemed it the Phenotyping Bottleneck [1]. A platform capable of navigating between row crops This bottleneck is caused by a variety of factors, including and deploying phenotyping sensors for sub-canopy data labor-intensive processes, their associated costs, and the collection • necessity of replicated trials.
    [Show full text]