Design of a six wheel suspension and a three-axis linear actuation mechanism for a laser weeding robot
This addresses the problem of sustainable and efficient weed control for precision farming, representing an incremental improvement over existing mechanical and herbicide-based methods.
The paper tackles weed removal in agriculture by developing an autonomous six-wheeled robot with a novel double four-bar suspension and a three-dimensional linear actuation mechanism for laser weeding, achieving a weed detection rate of 86.2%, a hit rate of 97%, and a mean positional error of 1.54 mm at an optimal speed of 42.5 cm/s.
Mobile robots are increasingly utilized in agriculture to automate labor-intensive tasks such as weeding, sowing, harvesting and soil analysis. Recently, agricultural robots have been developed to detect and remove weeds using mechanical tools or precise herbicide sprays. Mechanical weeding is inefficient over large fields, and herbicides harm the soil ecosystem. Laser weeding with mobile robots has emerged as a sustainable alternative in precision farming. In this paper, we present an autonomous weeding robot that uses controlled exposure to a low energy laser beam for weed removal. The proposed robot is six-wheeled with a novel double four-bar suspension for higher stability. The laser is guided towards the detected weeds by a three-dimensional linear actuation mechanism. Field tests have demonstrated the robot's capability to navigate agricultural terrains effectively by overcoming obstacles up to 15 cm in height. At an optimal speed of 42.5 cm/s, the robot achieves a weed detection rate of 86.2\% and operating time of 87 seconds per meter. The laser actuation mechanism maintains a minimal mean positional error of 1.54 mm, combined with a high hit rate of 97\%, ensuring effective and accurate weed removal. This combination of speed, accuracy, and efficiency highlights the robot's potential for significantly enhancing precision farming practices.