Ground And Air Robotic Manipulation Systems In Agriculture

Problems of joint application of heterogeneous ground and air robotic means while performing the agricultural technological tasks that require physical interaction with agricultural products and the environment are discussed in the book. Proposed solutions for the exchange of energy and physical resources of unmanned aerial vehicles on ground service platforms, automation of the process of collecting agricultural products and ensuring the stability of the air manipulation system at physical interaction with a ground object are important for the transport and agricultural industry robotization. The book addresses the researchers investigating interdisciplinary issues of agricultural production robotization, problems of information, physical and energy interaction of ground and air robots; recommended to postgraduates and students studying "Mechatronics and robotics" and "Technologies, mechanization and power equipment in agriculture, forestry and fisheries."

This book provides a review of the state-of-the-art of agricultural robotics in different aspects of PA, the goals, and the gaps. The book introduces the area of Agricultural Robotics for Precision Agriculture (PA) specifically the conditions and limitations for implementing robots in this field and presents the concepts, principles, required abilities, components, characteristics and performance measures, conditions, and rules for robots in PA.

This book covers three main types of agricultural systems: the use of robotics, drones (unmanned aerial vehicles), and satellite-guided precision farming methods. Some of these are well refined and are currently in use, while others are in need of refinement and are yet to become popular. The book provides a valuable source of information on this developing field for those involved with agriculture and farming and agricultural engineering. The book is also applicable as a textbook for students and a reference for faculty.

The aim of the book is to introduce the state-of-the-art technologies in the field of robotics, mechatronics and automation in agriculture in order to summarize and review the improvements in the methodologies in agricultural robotics. Advances made in the past decades are described, including robotics for agriculture, mechatronics for agriculture, kinematics, dynamics and control analysis of agricultural robotics, and a wide range of topics in the field of robotics, mechatronics and automation for agricultural applications.

Robotics: economic, technical, and policy issues. Technological trends in agricultural electronics. Future use of robots in agriculture. Mobile robots in agriculture. Animal positioning, manipulation and restraint for a sheep shearing robot. Japan's technology farm. Application of agricultural robots in Japan. Agricultural robots in Japan: a challenge for U.S. agricultural engineers. Image controlled robotics in agricultural environments. Nuclear magnetic resonance image interpretation. Intelligent robot systems: potential agricultural applications. Robotic harvesting of apples. Controlling agricultural machinery intelligently. Automatic control of tractors and field machines. Automatic combine. Robotic principles in the selective harverst of Valencia oranges. Hero 1 robot: educational applications. Conference wrap-up.

The Scope includes technologies, functionalities, regulation and safety Issues, applications and education related to aerial manipulation and transportation The technologies are Aerial Manipulation, Soft aerial robots and compliance, Bio inspiration, Teleoperation, Hybrid aerial marine ground, Air ground Air ground marine Air marine interaction, Recharging Refueling, Multi robot cooperation with physical interaction The functionalities include Contact inspection, Transportation, Deployment and retrieval, Co working with humans, Sampling, Cleaning, complex environment exploration There scope also includes regulation and safety issues involving risk analysis and Applications including Infrastructure Inspection and Maintenance, Agriculture, Construction, Environment protection, Fire fighting and Health care Finally, the education includes educational prototypes and software tools

This important volume provides a plethora of information on aerial vehicles and their possible roles in revolutionizing agricultural procedures through spectral analysis of terrains, soils, crops, water resources, diseases, floods, drought, and farm activities. There are several semi-autonomous and autonomous (robotic) aerial vehicles that are examined for their efficiency in offering detailed spectral data about agrarian regions and individual farms. Among them, small drone aircrafts such as fixed-winged and copter models have already caught the imagination of farmers. They are spreading fast in every nook and corner of the farm world. However, there are many more aerial robots that are utilized in greater detail during farming. In this volume, the focus is on aerial vehicles such as parafoils, blimps, aerostats, and kites, and how they are being evaluated for use in experimental farms and fields. A few aerial vehicles, such as robotic parafoils, have been adopted to procure aerial spectral data and visual imagery to aid agronomic procedures. These and other aerial robots are expected to change and improve the use of the sky in agricultural endeavors and the way we conduct agronomic procedures in the very near future. This volume is a timely resource for agricultural researchers, professors and students, and the general public who are interested in aerial vehicles.

In the early years of robotics and automated vehicles, the fight was against nature and not against a manifestly intelligent opponent. In military environments, however, where prediction and anticipation are complicated by the existence of an intelligent adversary, it is essential to retain human operators in the control loop. Future combat systems will require operators to control and monitor aerial and ground robotic systems and to act as part of larger teams coordinating diverse robotic systems over multiple echelons. The National Research Council organized a workshop to identify the most important human-related research and design issues from both the engineering and human factors perspectives, and develop a list of fruitful research directions. Interfaces for Ground and Air Military Robots summarizes the presentations and discussions from this workshop.