Wan Ismail, Wan Ishak

Universiti Putra Malaysia Institutional Repository

Engineering SCiencesDesign and Development of Agricultural Robots for Plantation CropsWan Ishak Wan IsmailFaculty of EngineeringUniversiti Putra Malaysia43400 UPM. Serdang, SelangorMalaysiaE-mail olCorrespondingAuthor:wiwi@eng.upm.edu.myKey words: agricultural robots machinery design, agricultural mechanization cocoa and oil aim hcocoa and oil palm collector. ' p arvester,IntroductionThe production of our primary com-modities, namely oil palm, rubber andcocoa, is very labour intensive. Labourproblem is said to be one of the con-tributing factor for the higher cost pro-duction and deteriorating agro-basedindustries. One major problem cur-rently faced by agricultural and planta-tion industry in Malaysia is the inade-quate technology input. Technologyinput will reduce the dependence oflabour and thus increase the utilizationof labour and thus increase the utiliza-tion of natural resources. Engineeringinputs in the agricultural sector arevery essential. Automation system,artificial intelligence, dynamic andkinematics for agro-robot, machinevision and image processing and in-strumentations and controls for agri-cultural machines are among the newtechnology that must be introduced inthe agro-based industries. To shape theagro-based industry in Malaysia, newtechnology such as automation androbotics, information technology,nanotechnology, space technology,energy and agro-ecological must bedevelop and introduced. Automationand robotics must be developed imme-diately to solve the harvesting, collec-tion and transportation of fruits, cocoaand oil palm.Materials and MethodsThe machines developed and designedwill be based on the principle of ro-botics technology available in industrywith remote control and electronicsensing. Automation of mechanicalcomponent will also develop. Emphasiswill be to develop a robot that canutilized robust condition and able tocarry out heavy operations. As suchhydraulic power will be used as sourcepower. The concept of manipulatorswill be applied to the hydraulic crane,which will act as robot arm. The com-puter control system and hydrauliccontrol system will be applied to therobot arm. This system will be used foroil palm harvesting and collection.Machine vision and image processingwill also be used to identify the object.Initially, a prototype robot will be de-signed and fabricated in the laboratory.The prototype robot will consists ofrobot arm or hydraulic crane to pick theobject, the robot arm will utilized thehydraulic fluid as power source, thevision system consisting of camerawith computer CPU will be instructedto the prototype robot. Laboratorytesting will be carried out to enable theprototype robot to visualize and pickthe right object. After success thewhole system will be transferred to theagricultural tractors.An engine driven tractor will be modi-fied for the purpose of turning the ma-chine into a robot. The hydraulic sys-tem will be modified and upgraded formulti purpose functions. Hydraulicscrane or robot arm will be built andinstalled to the engine driven tractor.This special robot arm must be able tomaneuver like human arms and enableto cut and pick the ripe oil palm FFB,or cocoa. Machine vision and sensorswill be introduced so that robot willselect only the ripe fruits to harvest.Research was also carried out to de-velop robot using pneumatic system forharvesting and collection of cocoa pod.The principle will be the same as hy-draulic control robot. Research wasalso carried out to introduce the gantrysystem for crop production. Automa-tion will be the main criteria in thisresearch. This system will ensure pro-ductivity of agricultural production in alimited area and for high value crop.Results and DiscussionThe development of hydraulic robotarm and also pneumatic robot arm wassuccessfully achieved. Numbers ofprototypes of oil palm harvester, FFBcollector, cocoa pod harvester and transplanter has been developed. Each pro-totype has a different kind of controlsystem and sensor system. Computersystem to control the robot arm wassuccessfully designed using Hydrau-sim, Pneumatic, genie, C, PLC andVisual basic assist with interface cardsensors, and camera vision. The robotthat was incorporated with the cameravision can be able to determine thecolors of the ripe fruit and determinethe X and Y Axes of the fruits loca-tions. The visual basic based softwarecalled Virtual Motion Pneumatic Inter-face (VMPRI), is user interface soft-ware to control the pneumatic robot.User just needs to use mouse to clickthe target that virtuaJly appear on themonitor. The robot arm will move toclicked target and the simulations ofthe robot movement appear on themonitor screen. We also develop atraveling device for the robot, and aremote control system to control thetraveling device and the robot arm on-line via Internet line. Research was alsosuccessfully in the development of theautomation system in high value cropproduction. A gantry system was de-signed and developed.ConclusionsThe designed of the automation androbotics for agricultural industries needto be improved. To replace the humanthe designed machine must be robust,heavy-duty, also able to withstand withvarious weather conditions. From theresearch result, hydraulic system was asuitable power for agricultural robot.which need high working load, whilepneumatic system for less workingload. The hydraulic system is easy tocontrol compared with the pneumaticsystem. The critical task in the researchwas the development of the end-effectors and sensors system for har-vesting and collection of the various261kincb of (nlill ....... colon. weicht.."0 (nlill pc»ilionl and hciJhIl on Ihclleo. The ICnMJf 'yslem need IIOfIICdeareo O( intelliJCftt to ditrermliatc Ihcripencll or Ihc (nlill. obstacln MlC:hIIeo bnulcbCll. leal, and eec. lunhcrl'ClICarc:h need to be c:..ned out to in-c:n:ued Ihc clflc:icnc:y of Ihc dcai,nedII1IIc:hinc.Benefit. from the atudyThi'I'ClICIIKhMlC:c:culully ipOftlIOfCd24 projecb c:arricd out by ,rllduaac andunderJflldwate Itudenll. Fnll11Ihc proj-«I varMIUlIkind ur new findin, andnew I«hnuluJy auch IS aulUfNlliCJ"and rob"Iic: .. inrunnaaion I«hnuk,.y.ftIIIUI«hnulu,y. Ip;M:C I«hnuk,.y.cncr,y and "fUo«uk,.ic.1 were intro-dlM:cdintu the •• ricultural incJWltnn.The new I«h""I,,.in will ClIpend Ihc.,rKulturai klivitica. which mUca itI11UC'C intcrcltin,Literature cited In the text~.Project Publication. InRef.reed Journal.WaIIlWI! WaIIlomail and Mohd ZobadIeBardaW. IIIW. M~AUIOmDIionand IldIoIic 'Of !he FoodCrnp Production. r"",1IKtioII of1411,."."'" _~" of p'_' 1'''',/0100. I:)6.4'.Wall IWI! Wall I....... and BouletirOmr_. IIIW. ~IP and Development01 AJricullur" RotIuc - A killemlllc.262RepmentatioD. JDllntIlIllUIl",,1on ofUI,iN", 14II1II,.111.6(140).WaIIlWI! Wan limlli. Anni YIh)'L endMohd ZobMIie BIIrdaie. 2000.Mic;Itiplcuuor Baaed DoIa KQUllhionSyNem fOf Crnp PrutIIKtion. P,rumllulJllflntIIi of Sc-j,M' """ T'~hnoIo".UP,.,. II: 9),104.WaIIlWI! Wan btllllil. Mohd.ZohIMIie.811rdaie. and Abdul MIleL 2000.Optic .. propenieJ 'Of MechanicalH,vv,.un, 01Oil PIam "l'B. JOII"",I oJoil Pulm IWHIIR'h. 12(2).Wall IWII Wan btllllil. IWI. COllIAnalyll.MUlkI For Crop Prudu4;tion MKhincrySy.Iem. AMA (AJric:uhur.1Mechallu.uun in .wa. Arne. end LatinAmcnc:a)' ~4):~.Project Publication. InConference Proceeding.Bouketir Omnme. Wan .. hak Wan "mall.Mahrnud. M. ZohIIdie. 1999. DynamIcMudel and Cunli'Ol 'Of 3 OOPApicuhural Ruh"t. PIIper preoented.N.. ional Con'erence ·F.n,ineerin, SmartPllflnin, (Of !he Nellt Millennium' UPM14-16 MardlllN9. Proceedin, In CO-ROM. Smart Pannin, 1999.Um Yu Jian. Wan .. hak Wan limall. 1999.Deli,n and Implemenwiun of all On-Wne Oil Palm maillllln'eA'in, Rubuc.hper preoenled. Na'iunal Cunference·P.n,ineerin, Smart Pannln, for !he Ne ••Millennium' UPM 14-16 Mardi 1999.Proceodin,ln CJ>.ROM. Smart Pannln,1999.Rahiml Rahim. Wan bhak Will btllllil.19119.DevelCJpmenl of an AulOmalic: 011Palm Culter. Papet pmoenled. N.eiunaIConference 'Enllineerin, Smart Farmin,fill' lhe Ne.' Millennium' UPM 14·16Man:h 19119.Prul:eedin, In CD·ROM.Smart Farmin, 19119.Wan lahak Wan Iamail. and Lee Boontluet.1 WK.Culour Camera Vi,ion SYitemFor Mechanic:al Oradin, and Sortin, ofBanana. Paper PreAeilIed .. flnt NaliunaJBanana Seminar. Omlin, tli,hland.November 2).2' IWK. Proceedin,lofThe flint Banana Seminar. pp. 1411-.,6. ,Wan lahak Wan lamall. and Mohd ZohadIeBardaie .1\199. AulOmaliun and robutic: illA,ric;ullural • A IpcciaJ Rercrenc:a 10 oilpalm indUiery. Pllper pl'eAenled .. PIPUC19119.Pruccedin,."Emcr,in,Technul",iel and 0ppurlunitiel in &hene.1 Millennium".PORIM internationalPllim Oil Pllim CM,re ... Kuala Lumpur.1-6 February 1m. pp. K9.Wan IWI! Will IAmall. and Mohd ZohadIeBardaie.llIII9. Robotic. and AutomationTec:hnoIOJY (Of PlantaliM Crops. PaperPre_led. Nalional Conference'En,l.-rinll Smart Parmin, fOf The NellIMillennium' UPM 14-16 Man;h 1999.Prac:eedin,.ln CD-ROM. Smart Pannln,19119Graduate R•• earchBuukelir 0mraM. 19119. Mac:hlne VIAionIM.S.). Univmill Plllra M.lay.1a.RtAearch funded by the Inten.incatlMIl( Re-earchin Priorily areol (IRPA)· Supported by IRPA RM.'(1996-2000). Cycle 1997. Orlllll OI'()2.()4'()239.

Design and development of agricultural robots for plantation crops

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Design and development of agricultural robots for plantation crops

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