Mobile robot - ViV
Mobile robot with a robotic arm, sprinklers, compressors and sensors used for shoot thinning in the vineyard

Vineyard
Efficiency and adjustment of the system operation in real conditions in a vineyard will be tested

HEKTOR is conceived as a modular and autonomous robotic system, adapted for various missions in viticulture and mariculture with the anticipated possibility of human intervention while performing various work, inspection and intervention tasks. The main objective of HEKTOR project is to provide a systematic solution for the coordination of smart heterogeneous robots/vehicles (marine, land and air) capable of autonomously collaborating and distributing tasks in open unstructured space/waters.

Name: Heterogeneous autonomous robotic system in viticulture and mariculture – HEKTOR

Coordinator: University of Zagreb Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing

Duration: 13/3/2020-31/3/2023

Budget: 5.794.060,14 HRK
Financed by: ESI European Regional Development Fund

Partners: University of Dubrovnik - Institute for Marine and Coastal Research, University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture

The exploratory robot ViV was designed and constructed at The Laboratory for Robotics and Intelligent Control Systems. Its purpose is to autonomously move in various challenging environments, such as ruins or steep slopes.

Its well-designed drive provides it with effective mobility in challenging terrain (obstacles, stairs), as well as the ability to transport heavy loads, even of the weight of an adult human. The robot is equipped with multiple sensors, and its design allows it to function in explosive and dangerous environments.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is a quadcopter equipped with RTK-GPS system, RGB and thermal cameras, LIDAR, force sensor and on-board computer for real-time data processing and storage. UAV has extended flight time and it is capable of executing autonomus take-off and landing procedures on rough terrain or on Unmanned Surface Vehicle.

Vehicle applications:
• Aerial vineyard and fish farms monitoring
• Terrain mapping
• Data colecting for point colud generation
• Data acquisition for ground and underwater robots
• Flying platform for robot manipulators

The autonomous surface platform (ASV) is over-actuated with 4 thrusters forming the ”X” configuration. This configuration enables symmetrical motion in the horizontal plane under any orientation. The platform has been developed at the University of Zagreb Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, Laboratory for Underwater Systems and Technologies. The platform was primarily developed for dynamic positioning and diver following and since then its application was extended to execution of multiple autonomous tasks.

Vehicle applications:
• Control algorithm testing
• Multivehicle cooperative control
• Diver tracking
• Diver communication and navigation
• Sensor calibration and navigation algorithm testing

Autonomous vehicle BUDDY (AUV) was developed specifically for the purpose of exploring human-robot interaction in the underwater environment. It is fully actuated in the horizontal plane and can independently control heave and pitch degree of freedom. The vehicle is equipped with a wide range of sensors required to achieve envisioned functionalities in the underwater environment. BUDDY is 1.27 m long, 0.7 m wide, 0.7 m high and weighs about 70 kg. The basic payload includes:
• U-blox Neo 5M GPS
• Microstrain GX3 intertial measurement Unit (IMU)
• LinkQuest Navquest 600M Doppler velocity logger (DVL)
• Ubiquiti wireless communication
• 48 V lithium battery
• VideoRay Pro4 brushless thrusters

In addition, the vehicle is equipped with acoustic, stereo and mono cameras. Visual interaction with the diver is achieved through an underwater tablet, mounted in front, capable of displaying messages and alerting the diver when necessary. The vehicle is also equipped with an ARIS multibeam sonar, pointing to the front, which is used to determine diver position when in the vicinity of BUDDY.