Development and implementation of a team of robotic tractors for autonomous peat moss harvesting

  • Authors:

  • David A. Johnson;David J. Naffin;Jeffrey S. Puhalla;Julian Sanchez;Carl K. Wellington

  • Affiliations:

  • Commercial and Consumer Equipment Division John Deere Charlotte, North Carolina 28273;NavCom Technology John Deere Torrance, California 90503;Phoenix International John Deere Fargo, North Dakota 58102;MITRE Corporation McLean, Virginia 22102;National Robotics Engineering Center Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15201

  • Venue:
  • Journal of Field Robotics - Agricultural Robotics
  • Year:
  • 2009

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Abstract

This paper describes the key system components of a team of three tractors in a peat moss harvesting operation. The behavior and actions of the tractors were designed to mimic manual harvest operations while maintaining a safe operating environment. To accomplish this objective, each of the three tractors was equipped with a bolt-on automation package, and a human operator (team leader) was given a remote user interface to command and monitor the mission. The automation package included positioning, planning, and control, as well as coordination and perception systems to preserve field harvesting order, detect obstacles, and report physical changes in the operating environment. The system performed more than 100 test field harvesting missions during one season in a working peat bog, including three complete system tests with the end users. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.