Check out the most recent SCORPION publication “Collision Avoidance Considering Iterative Bézier Based Approach for Steep Slope Terrains”

The Agri-Food production requirements needs a more efficient and autonomous processes, and robotics will play a significant role in this process. Deploying agricultural robots on the farm is still a challenging task. Particularly in slope terrains, where it is crucial to avoid obstacles and dangerous steep slope zones. Path planning solutions may fail under several circumstances, as the appearance of a new obstacle. This work proposes a novel open-source solution called AgRobPP-CA to autonomously perform obstacle avoidance during robot navigation. AgRobPP-CA works in real-time for local obstacle avoidance, allowing small deviations, avoiding unexpected obstacles or dangerous steep slope zones, which could impose a fall of the robot. Our results demonstrated that AgRobPP-CA is capable of avoiding obstacles and high slopes in different vineyard scenarios, with low computation requirements. For example, in the last trial, AgRobPP-CA avoided a steep ramp that could impose a fall to the robot.

Click here the read the full paper.

Check out the most recent SCORPION publication “Localization and Mapping on Agriculture Based on Point-Feature Extraction and Semiplanes Segmentation From 3D LiDAR Data”

Developing ground robots for agriculture is a demanding task. Robots should be capable of performing tasks like spraying, harvesting, or monitoring. However, the absence of structure in the agricultural scenes challenges the implementation of localization and mapping algorithms. Thus, the research and development of localization techniques are essential to boost agricultural robotics. To address this issue, we propose an algorithm called VineSLAM suitable for localization and mapping in agriculture. This approach uses both point- and semiplane-features extracted from 3D LiDAR data to map the environment and localize the robot using a novel Particle Filter that considers both feature modalities. The numeric stability of the algorithm was tested using simulated data. The proposed methodology proved to be suitable to localize a robot using only three orthogonal semiplanes. Moreover, the entire VineSLAM pipeline was compared against a state-of-the-art approach considering three real-world experiments in a woody-crop vineyard. Results show that our approach can localize the robot with precision even in long and symmetric vineyard corridors outperforming the state-of-the-art algorithm in this context.

Click here the read the full paper.

Integration I: Robotic sensors and low-level controllers

During the 1st Scorpion Integration we have tested a GNSS receiver from DEIMOS, that is fully compatible with Galileo Signals (#EU #Space #EUSPA #Galileo). This receiver will enable to develop reliable and more safety agricultural robots. Like those being developed at SCORPION project.

This is a joint project between #INESCTEC #DEIMOS #TEYME #EURECAT #STEMS #CERVIM #INNOVI #SPI #WUR #IPN

In a continuous integration process throughout the project duration, AGROB platform is expected to be upgraded with the integration of a diesel power motor generator and mechanical interfaces (integrations I, II and III), followed by the integration of sprayers and a navigation and safety systems into AGROB V20.

INESC TEC is the coordinator and task leader for the first integration, which took place during M11 (November, 2021) in Quinta do Seixo, Portugal.

For more information on future integrations, visit the ‘Integration Days’ tab on our website.

Application to the IF Prize

SCORPION´s team has applied for the IF prize with the Weta – Agro Robot / Autonomous Platform for Agriculture and Forestry. Weta is an autonomous all-terrain platform, a universal vehicle prepared to be loaded with special tools and packs for autonomous surveillance, inspection, pulverization, pruning, land clearing, and harvesting. The date of launch is 2022.

For more information click here.

SCORPION team at the European Event | Agriculture 4.0 – Driving Sustainability for the European Wine Sector

SCORPION coordinator Dr Filipe Santos from INESCTEC will be presenting at the virtual conference “Agriculture 4.0 – Driving Sustainability for the European Wine Sector” on June the 16th during the case studies ‘session “New perspectives about digital innovations on mechanization and robotics “.

The European event Agriculture 4.0 – Driving Sustainability for the European Wine Sector, organized by ADVID – through CoLAB VINES&WINES, and under the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, will be held online on the 16th of June 2021.

Please click here to access the program.

For registration, please send an email to formacao@advid.pt

This event will have simultaneous interpretation in Portuguese and English.

European project SCORPION featured on several Portuguese newspapers

The launch of Scorpion Project was featured on several online newspapers. Researchers from the Institute of Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science (INESC TEC), in Porto, have announced the launching of the European project SCORPION that aims to develop autonomous robots to spray mountain vineyards “without wasting chemicals”. In addition to INESC TEC, the project has the collaboration of the Pedro Nunes Institute, Portuguese Society of Innovation (SPI), as well as institutions from Spain, Italy and the Netherlands. Access to full news articles below.

By Público: “Investigadores do Porto desenvolvem robôs para pulverizar vinhas de montanha”
By Agriterra: “Investigadores desenvolvem robôs autónomos para pulverizar vinhas com maior precisão”
By Agroportal: “Investigadores do Porto vão desenvolver robôs para pulverizar vinhas de montanha”
By RTP: “Investigadores do Porto vão desenvolver robôs para pulverizar vinhas de montanha”
By Porto Canal: “Investigadores do Porto vão desenvolver robôs para pulverizar vinhas de montanha”
By Negócios “Douro testa robô “escorpião” para pulverizar vinhas”
By Jornal de Notícias: “Investigadores do Porto vão desenvolver robôs para pulverizar vinhas de montanha”

Scorpion coordinator in an interview to Antena 1

Scorpion coordinator Filipe Neves dos Santos from INESC TEC has given an interview to Antena 1 – Portugal em direto about the development of robots to spray mountain vineyards. Listen to the full interview here.