Proposal


What kinds of tasks might future agrobots need to perform?

Future agrobots will need to be able to collect data about the condition of the fields, and send them to the farmer. The farmer can then assess the situation and decide what action, if any, to take.

The robots will also need to till the ground and plant seeds. Robots will be able to till with more precision and deposit seeds as they till, saving time.

Finally, the agrobots will need to apply pesticides selectively to crops as needed. Robots that can pull weeds would also eliminate the use of herbicides to remove unwanted vegetation.

What features will these robots need to have?

Because this proposed robotic system is data-dependent, much of the features involve information. The robots will have:

A connection to the online database/command center -- this will be in the form of a wireless network, which spans across the entire field.

Communication with the farmer -- this will be in the form of a beeper device in case the farmer is away from the computer command center and needs to be contacted remotely in case of emergency.

Data collection devices -- the Sweedlings will be fully equipped with sensors that will send back information about pH, nutrients, moisture, and pest levels.

Attachments for functions of tilling, seeding, watering, weeding, and spraying -- allow the farmer to swap out functioning parts of the robot depending on what tasks need to be done.

What technology (or cost) advancements are needed?

Under this proposal, we are assuming that certain advances have been made. These include:

An organized database with scientific plant health data -- this information would include levels that are known to be ideal for certain plants (i.e. corn grows best at certain levels of pH, nutrients, moisture, sunlight). The pre-set conditions would act as a basis for comparison when the agrobots collect actual data about the state of the fields.

A command center -- that utilizes the pre-set database, and creates a database of its own specific to the data collected from the farm. The farmer relies on the command center to examine the state of the farm, and to remotely give out instructions to the robots in the fields.

A long-range wireless internet infrastructure -- that is powerful while still being fairly inexpensive, to allow for communication between the robots, the command center, and the farmer.

More advanced sensors -- for collecting data such as chemicals in the soil signifying that a plant is healthy. These sensors have to be capable of executing their functions while remaining cost-efficient and small enough to fit on the robots that use them.


Conceptual farm layout, including the Sweeder, the Sweedlings, and the field.


The Sweeder

The Sweeder (seeder + weeder) is the robot responsible for performing the manual tasks required in crop farming. In the early spring, the Sweeder enters its Tilling and Seeding phase. An attachment underneath the Sweeder will enable it to till the ground as it moves along the field. This attachment would be fairly narrow so that the only area that is tilled is the area where the seeds are to be deposited. This method of tilling is known as strip tilling, and it helps to keep plants healthier and eliminate weeds [16]. Another attachment will drop seeds into the tilled ground as the Sweeder moves along. There will be a third attachment for the application of water -- it will be similar to the kinds of nozzles found on a pressure washer or a watering can.

In the late spring through the summer, the Sweeder will be in its Feeding and Weeding phase. A useful feature of the Sweeder is that it has interchangeable attachments -- this allows the farmer to use one Sweeder to perform a variety of tasks throughout the seasons. During the Feeding and Weeding phase, the tilling/seeding attachments will be replaced with a weeding attachment. There will also be an attachment for the application of pesticides. Finally, the Sweeder will have a component located on its underside allowing it to apply fertilizer to the field evenly where needed, helping the plants to grow.

The Sweedlings

The Sweedlings (“little Sweeders”) are the information collectors. They are much smaller than the Sweeder, but they work like a swarm in order to evaluate a large field in a shorter amount of time. The Sweedlings carry numerous sensors to aid them in their data collection. This includes:

A chemical/nutrient data sensor -- to measure soil nutrient levels.

Visual data collection -- through means of an infrared camera to detect the presence of weeds and pests.

Temperature and moisture sensors -- to detect if the soil moisture levels and temperature are adequate for the plant.

The Sweedlings only work during the Feeding and Weeding phase. They are responsible for gathering data about their assigned area of the field, and reporting it back to the Sweeder and the control center.


Motion diagram of the two phases of Sweeder and Sweedling action.


Communication

Communication between the Sweeder, the Sweedlings, and the farmer is basic, and is facilitated through a wide wireless network. The farmer relies on the main control center, which gives status readings of each robot, including: current location, power levels, and data collected. The control center also receives updates from two NASA satellites, Landsat 7 [17] (which monitors the ground and gives feedback on the field)and TRMM [18] (which moderates and predicts weather patterns), so that informed decision-making can take place. Next, the Sweeder receives downloads the information it needs from the database, and follows the day's special instructions. They send information about job completions via a wireless internet antennae, and the control center logs its progress. Finally, the Sweedlings are assigned a portion of the field, which they check for signs of pests, lack of water, or lack of nutrients. These findings are also sent to the control center to be analyzed. In some cases, the Sweedlings will find a problematic area. When the control center processes this data, it will give the problem an urgency rating. The farmer can give the robots permissions to create their own solution if the urgency rating is relatively low -- but if it is high, the farmer must have a say in the type of treatment that occurs. Although this robotic system is autonomous, the farmer has authority over the entire decision-making process.