How agriculture robots enable strip cropping
(and other field changes)
What agriculture robots make different?
Automatic steering of agriculture robot with RTK GPS
Nearly inherent to agricultural robotics is the navigation with RTK GPS, needed to find its way on the field. Navigation with RTK GPS enables the robots to have preset route on the field, on the centimeter accurate. This gives the significant benefit of being able to drive on the same place in the field every day.
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Light-weight and low capacity, compared to traditional tractors
Current development of agriculture robots is typically aimed at less heavy and low capacity machinery. By autonomous operations of the agricultural robots, this factor to increase to higher and higher capacity is eliminated. Therefore, less heavy machines and the possibility to redesign the field towards strip cropping.
Frequently asked questions
What is the definition of fixed driving lane?
Fixed driving lane is the path for the agriculture robot to drive on the same position, over and over again. In contrast to fixed driving lane, in 'traditional farming' a person that drives a tractor shows in practice to drive over different places off the field. Therefore, the multiple trails will result in multiple places where the soil is compacted by the machinery.
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What is the definition of controlled traffic farming (also noted as CTF) ?
Controlled traffic farming is an alternative word to say exactly the same as fixed driving lanes, in perspective of farming. Especially in Australia, controlled traffic farming is applied already in a significant extend without the use of agriculture robots.
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What is de the definition of fixed crop lanes?
Fixed crop lanes is not an often used term. Fixed crop lanes is the same as the fixed driving lane, however by using these wording the emphasis is put on the positive effect of the system. The driving lanes itself are negative, since now crop can grow where the agriculture robots are driving frequently. Therefore, by putting the emphasis on the crop lanes it's showing the key benefit of this system: Untouched fixed areas, where the plants can grow well.