AbstractsEngineering

Autonomous guided vehicle for agricultural application

by Gerald Chikosi




Institution: Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
Department: Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Information Technology
Degree: MEng
Year: 2014
Keywords: Autonomous vehicles; Farm equipment
Record ID: 1436863
Full text PDF: http://contentpro.seals.ac.za/iii/cpro/DigitalItemViewPage.external?sp=1016164


Abstract

With the world‟s population expected to reach nine billion by 2050, agricultural production will have to double to meet this growing demand. Hence, a need for better infrastructure to enhance farming efficiency becomes apparent. There are a number of solutions that have been developed to date that are commercially available. They range from genetically modified seeds and bio/green fertilizers to advanced farming machinery amongst others. However most of the farming equipment developed has drawbacks such as: heavy weight – this leads to reduced yields due to soil compacting; human dependency – constant monitoring and controlling is needed; light dependency – excludes usage during the night or when visibility is poor. Therefore, a possible solution will be researched to enhance the evolution of farming equipment. Furthermore, a model will be developed for testing and verifying the research