Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SCORPION (Cost effective robots for smart precision spraying)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2021-01-01 do 2022-06-30
Spraying in agriculture represents a societal challenge due to its negative impact in human and animal health and in environment. Increasing spraying efficiency towards the objective of “right time, right amount, right place”, involves reduction of losses and, consequently, amount of phytopharmaceuticals used, water usage, and human and animal exposure to pesticides, and the increase of the spraying system availability while reducing labor costs. Furthermore, adoption of new ecological spraying treatments to increase both yield and treatment efficiency is desirable. Agriculture in rough terrain is also challenging, due to the steepness of some terrain, lack of space to manoeuvre, difficulties of communications due to natural obstacles and harsh atmospheric conditions associated.
To cope with these challenges a consortium with complementary precision farming actors was formed for SCORPION project, bringing together steep slope vineyards associations (CERVIM, INNOVI), robotics and agricultural machinery RTD institutions (INESC, EUT, and IMAMOTER, WUR), SMEs and large company (TEYME, Deimos, SPI), and an institution devoted to innovation in the sector (IPN).
SCORPION’s solution will be a safe and autonomous precision spraying tool integrated into a modular unmanned tractor (robotics platform). It will focus on steep slope vineyards but with impact in other high-value permanent crops (olive groves and fruiticulture). SCORPION’ will consider Global Navigation Satellite System (EGNSS) receiver (triple frequency, PPP, OS-NMA, HAS) fused with other sensors, to increase the solution reliability, accuracy and safeness, and to enable autonomous ultraviolet light treatments (to eliminate partial need of phytopharmaceuticals) and to allow high precision spraying in permanent crops. SCORPION will bring the TRL of the technologies involved from 5 to 7 and will originate a modular spraying robot. These four modules can be explored independently or together.
To cope with these challenges a consortium with complementary precision farming actors was formed for SCORPION project, bringing together steep slope vineyards associations (CERVIM, INNOVI), robotics and agricultural machinery RTD institutions (INESC, EUT, and IMAMOTER, WUR), SMEs and large company (TEYME, Deimos, SPI), and an institution devoted to innovation in the sector (IPN).
SCORPION’s solution will be a safe and autonomous precision spraying tool integrated into a modular unmanned tractor (robotics platform). It will focus on steep slope vineyards but with impact in other high-value permanent crops (olive groves and fruiticulture). SCORPION’ will consider Global Navigation Satellite System (EGNSS) receiver (triple frequency, PPP, OS-NMA, HAS) fused with other sensors, to increase the solution reliability, accuracy and safeness, and to enable autonomous ultraviolet light treatments (to eliminate partial need of phytopharmaceuticals) and to allow high precision spraying in permanent crops. SCORPION will bring the TRL of the technologies involved from 5 to 7 and will originate a modular spraying robot. These four modules can be explored independently or together.
During the reporting period, SCORPION consortium has realised 2 integration periods in real vineyards. In the last integration was accomplished a robot equipped with a precision sprayer with the capacity to apply prescripted value (obtained from a prescription map) and adjust in real time the prescripted value according the real vineyard leaf area, reducing in this way the losses during the spraying operations. The WP1 has defined the overall robotic architecture and has defined the requirements for the SCORPION prototypes. On WP2 we have developed a "conventional" precision sprayer compatible with a tractor and AgRob V18 with advanced perception systems and (Variable Rate Technologies) VRT technologies and ISOBUS. Besides in this WP it was started the developments of the new fully electrical sprayer. On WP3 the new GNSS receiver was started to be developed and several laboratorial tests were realised. In this WP several SLAM approaches were studied and tested, the VIneSLAM and AgRobPP packages were developed under the ROS2 and tested during the pilots/integrations days. On the WP4 we had analysed the source code developed in WP3 and we developed the mission and supervisors controllers. On the WP5 the AgRobV18 was assembled with the Sprayer developed under WP2 and with the WP3 and WP4 solutions, that were tested in II SCORPION integration days. To increase the SCORPION impact was designed and assembled a fully electrical robot that will be considered in the remain integration days. On the WP6, the website was been published and several communication and dissemination actions were realised, such the participation on FIRA 2021 and EIMA and the participation on the IF prize with WETA design (where WETA got the design prize). 7 scientific articles were published and more than 15 actions were take to comunicate the project to wider audience. In the WP7 we have started to develop the exploitation plan for the after end of the project.
SCORPION will bring the TRL of the technologies involved from 5 to 7. This increment is driven by five main RTD topics: localization and navigation systems (considering EGNSS); advanced sprayer tool with Variable Rate Technology (VRT); safety systems; compliance and interoperability; and modularity. SCORPION will contribute to building up its market segment aligned to the European Strategic Robotics Agenda and creating new business opportunities, as well as reducing the fertiliser usage in agriculture and increasing air uality. SCORPION brings to the market a cost effective modular robot for high precision spraying in permanent crops, integrating three main modules: an autonomous tractor (<50hp), high precision sprayer with novel UV light treatments, and an advanced outdoor sensing system. These modules can be commercialized independently or in the form of the SCORPION robot.