[1]
Jason Scheer, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Kansas State University, Kansas, USA.
[2]
Daniel Flippo, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Kansas State University, Kansas, USA.
[3]
Ajay Sharda, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Kansas State University, Kansas, USA.
This research paper includes detailed reasoning on the potential future use of small autonomous vehicles for high production farming to help feed the world in 2050. The research focuses on the advantages small autonomous vehicles have over traditional large equipment. These advantages include the reduction of soil compaction, ease of transportation between fields, the ability to operate for longer periods of time with minimal human interaction, the ability to use of fleet of vehicles versus one piece of equipment, and the potential to farm on a plant basis instead of a whole field spectrum. This paper also includes several questions that small autonomous vehicles have not yet been able to answer. To answer some of these questions, a feasibility study was conducted with the goal of creating a wheat planter for a small autonomous vehicle. The results are documented as well as some suggestions for future tests to further prove this study.
Robotics, Planting, Agriculture, Autonomous, Wheat
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