Efficiently Collecting Farm Work Data Using a Smart Device

Abstract

A measuring apparatus with an external output function connected to a Bluetooth adapter and a laser distance meter with Bluetooth function can easily send measurement data to a smart device such as a smartphone or a tablet. We fabricated such an apparatus that could be easily operated by one person. For measuring plant height and seeding depth in the field, the vertical distance measuring apparatus used was a laser distance meter with a Bluetooth function fixed to a monopod and a smart device. The apparatus could measure height with an error range of about 2 mm. To measure the weight and width of an object, an electronic balance with Bluetooth adapter and an apparatus （in which the object was placed between a fixed plate and a sliding plate） measured the width with a laser distance meter and a smart device were used. The working time when measuring the weight and width of sweet potato roots using this measuring method was 58％ less than that for a visually measuring method that required using a ruler, an electronic balance and filling in a field book.