Robotic Following Cart to Replace Light Duty Tractor Tasks?

[mikester]

Have you talked with these guys? Its' a company local to me and they are trying a similar angle with industrial focus on their OTTO line

Clearpath Robotics: Autonomous Mobile Robots

For me I could see the usefulness of a self dumping unit that can haul 1,000+lbs similar to the tracked power wheelbarrows.

 

[candersen10]

Does this one look more the part (pre paint/pre wiring prototype, so excuse prototype-ish look)?

 

[candersen10]

Check this one out now - any thoughts? We will be running it at the Forbes Agtech Summit in Salinas at the end of June, and the world's largest berry company has agreed to pre-pay to test one out.

 

[daugen]

very cool video, going up and down the rows was illuminating.
However, why was it zigging around so much instead of going straight?
Reminds me of first gen lane control in cars where they pogo back and forth side
to side due to forceful response to radar return. It wasn't following anyone, I think..., so this
was a different operating mode? A memory return?

If I were really serious about this, I'd consider laying a wire like invisible fencing down the center of the tree/bush rows, just let it follow that...could that
be an option for outdoors? Floor tape for indoors?

Btw, love your collection of tractors.

4 wheels looks so much more stable, KISS on the touchpad for widest range of operators

 

[Creamer]

very cool video, going up and down the rows was illuminating.
However, why was it zigging around so much instead of going straight?

So that it doesn't wear a path.

 

[freedomlives]

I presume its following/recognizing the person from a camera? What about hand gestures as a control interface? I think its pretty intuitive from the human side, or at least people are mostly used to, signaling to the driver of a truck how to back up, how to turn a bit or a lot, etc.

 

[candersen10]

very cool video, going up and down the rows was illuminating.
However, why was it zigging around so much instead of going straight?
Reminds me of first gen lane control in cars where they pogo back and forth side
to side due to forceful response to radar return. It wasn't following anyone, I think..., so this
was a different operating mode? A memory return?

If I were really serious about this, I'd consider laying a wire like invisible fencing down the center of the tree/bush rows, just let it follow that...could that
be an option for outdoors? Floor tape for indoors?

Btw, love your collection of tractors.

4 wheels looks so much more stable, KISS on the touchpad for widest range of operators

It records exactly the path you have traveled. If you take a small turn in an area, it learns that turn and when it retraces the path tries to achieve it as well. It works outdoors and indoors.

I don't think anyone would be willing to lay down wire for a robot to follow. Why bother doing that if it is unnecessary and costly anyway?

Here's a video showing how it works:

 

[candersen10]

I presume its following/recognizing the person from a camera? What about hand gestures as a control interface? I think its pretty intuitive from the human side, or at least people are mostly used to, signaling to the driver of a truck how to back up, how to turn a bit or a lot, etc.

Voice or gestures are very possible. We've thought we'd focus on this later though as adding that capability is only a coded behavior which we could flash to them while they are out in the field. Right now, the ruggedized touch screen we have is what we use as an interface.

 

[cqaigy2]

That sure would have been nice back in the day when i was a kid an picking zucchini and other crops by hand. Walking the full buckets back out to be weighed and emptied was a real time and energy waster.

 

[Atchuuu]

Check this one out now - any thoughts? We will be running it at the Forbes Agtech Summit in Salinas at the end of June, and the world's largest berry company has agreed to pre-pay to test one out.

Very cool. Glad to see you are still working on it.