Design of the positioning mechanism of an unmanned ground vehicle for precision agriculture

This paper deals with the design of a UGV (unmanned ground vehicle) for precise agriculture applications, named Agri.q02. The UGV can be considered the evolution of a previously presented vehicle, the Agri.q, with a novel layout and extended capabilities. Able to operate in unstructured environments and equipped with solar panels, the UGV permits a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) landing and recharging, even when positioned on irregular terrain or steep slopes. These features are provided by a positioning mechanism able to keep the landing platform horizontal above the soil; this mechanism was completely redesigned and its dimensional synthesis is presented herein. Finally, in order to collect ground or leaves’ samples for crop monitoring purposes, the novel version of the rover is also equipped by a robotic collaborative arm with a gripper at its end.