A collaboration involving researchers at Carnegie Mellon, Washington State, Oregon State, Purdue, and Pennsylvania State universities together with several private companies is developing an automated electric vehicle that could improve the production of labor-intensive crops such as apples, cherries, and other tree fruits. The vehicle, which is outfitted with sensors and software, can be programmed to drive itself through orchards and capture data. “It takes a very large amount of infrastructure and a lot of labor to grow these crops,” says Sanjiv Singh, research professor with Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute, which has designed robots for the military, the Department of Energy, and other federal organizations. “Agriculture [is] a great application of the technology we’ve developed.”

The team received $6 million last fall through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative to pay for the four-year project. Another $6 million in money and use of land and equipment came from industry members. This is the third year the researchers are testing a prototype of the “auto-nomous prime mover” and a vehicle known as the scout — a trailer carrying eight cameras mounted on a 10-foot tower. By studying different angles, heights, and exposures of the cameras, they hope to determine the best configuration for capturing the most fruit in each photo, enabling growers to examine the size of their crop and identify the trees which are their biggest producers, explains Tony Koselka, vice president of engineering for San Diego-based Vision Robotics Corp. Understanding the size of their crop early in the season could help with decisions about thinning. Later, the data could help determine when and where to start picking. The automated mover also has the potential to carry equipment, such as a sprayer or mower, which could make orchard care and harvesting more efficient. The researchers hope to have equipment ready to market before the project concludes in three years, Singh says. In the meantime, the collaborators are developing related technology including insect monitors, weed detection and management systems, plant stress and disease detectors, and equipment to streamline the harvesting of easily bruised fruits, such as apples.

Source: The News Tribune

Posted August 12th, 2009 under Tech Transfer

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