We are pleased to present the recent work from the Robotics Laboratory at the University of Ljubljana's Faculty of Electrical Engineering. The focus is on an autonomous mobile platform designed to facilitate soil sampling, aiming to contribute to the ongoing digitization of agriculture.
This system is a four-wheel mobile platform, equipped with an array of technical components. It is designed to navigate across various terrains autonomously, utilizing the Robot Operating System (ROS) for primary functionalities. It also features an integrated soil conductivity meter and electrodes, which serve to analyze soil composition—a critical factor in modern agriculture decision-making processes regarding fertilizers, irrigation, pesticides, and crop growth.
The platform includes navigation capabilities and a web-based human-machine interface, allowing for real-time control and data visualization. It runs on four independently-controlled wheels. To ensure precision in navigation, the system uses real-time kinematic (RTK) GNSS, which helps provide location accuracy to within a few centimeters. Each wheel motor is equipped with a two-channel quadrature encoder, enabling speed calculations, while an inertial measurement unit (IMU) tracks angular velocities, linear velocities, and orientation. We combine these sensor data using an extended Kalman filter to estimate system status.
A key feature of this platform is the built-in ground conductivity meter. The device uses four equally spaced electrodes to generate a current when they come into contact with the soil. This current creates an electric field, the potential of which is measured to ascertain the soil's specific resistance, an important factor for effective farming.
Finally, this system includes a web-based human-machine interface, which allows operation from multiple devices. In the evolving digital landscape of agriculture, this robot-based soil sampling solution offers a practical approach to soil analysis, thereby aiding in making informed farming decisions.
Join us on this interesting journey as we integrate advanced robotics into sustainable soil monitoring.
