Host: The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers
Name : [in Japanese]
Date : June 28, 2023 - July 01, 2023
Agriculture relies heavily on human labor, especially in greenhouses where tasks like harvesting, spraying, and monitoring often involve long hours and repetitive work. However, the shortage of labor and increasing demand for food production has made agricultural automation a necessary solution. Mobile robot navigation is a key component of this automation, and this study presents an approach for safely navigating a mobile robot in a greenhouse using only a 2D LiDAR. A topological map and a set of behaviors allow the robot to move autonomously from one junction to another, following rows and transitioning to the next row while avoiding collisions. Our system was compared to “move base” in both simulator and testing field environments, and evaluation metrics such as path completion rate, number of interventions, and heading variance showed that the proposed system allows for smoother motion and longer autonomous travel distances.
