AgROS: A Robot Operating System Based Emulation Tool for Agricultural Robotics

Tsolakis, Naoum, Bechtsis, Dimitrios and Bochtis, Dionysis (2019) AgROS: A Robot Operating System Based Emulation Tool for Agricultural Robotics. Agronomy, 9 (7). p. 403. ISSN N/A

Full content URL: http://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9070403

Documents
JRP_82.pdf

Request a copy
[img] PDF
JRP_82.pdf - Whole Document
Restricted to Repository staff only

16MB
Item Type:Article
Item Status:Live Archive

Abstract

This research aims to develop a farm management emulation tool that enables agrifood producers to effectively introduce advanced digital technologies, like intelligent and autonomous unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), in real-world field operations. To that end, we first provide a critical taxonomy of studies investigating agricultural robotic systems with regard to: (i) the analysis approach, i.e., simulation, emulation, real-world implementation; (ii) farming operations; and (iii) the farming type. Our analysis demonstrates that simulation and emulation modelling have been extensively applied to study advanced agricultural machinery while the majority of the extant research efforts focuses on harvesting/picking/mowing and fertilizing/spraying activities; most studies consider a generic agricultural layout. Thereafter, we developed AgROS, an emulation tool based on the Robot Operating System, which could be used for assessing the efficiency of real-world robot systems in customized fields. The AgROS allows farmers to select their actual field from a map layout, import the landscape of the field, add characteristics of the actual agricultural layout (e.g., trees, static objects), select an agricultural robot from a predefined list of commercial systems, import the selected UGV into the emulation environment, and test the robot’s performance in a quasi-real-world environment. AgROS supports farmers in the ex-ante analysis and performance evaluation of robotized precision farming operations while lays the foundations for realizing “digital twins” in agriculture

Keywords:Digital agriculture, UGV, Robotics, Mobile robotics, ROS
Subjects:H Engineering > H671 Robotics
G Mathematical and Computer Sciences > G412 Operating Systems
Divisions:College of Science > Lincoln Institute for Agri-Food Technology
ID Code:39229
Deposited On:23 Dec 2019 10:09

Repository Staff Only: item control page