Toggle Switch - to swap the buggys programmes running, from following a track, to recognising symbols.
LDR - 4 LDRs gives more to programme, but also a greater sensitivity when calibrated as they can be compared to enable to buggy to make a greater number of decisions based upon the data they provide.
Super-bright LEDs - to light the underside of the buggy and provide the LDRs with a steady light source to compare the track against.
-; Wider research
'We are working on a semi-autonomous vehicle, with pre-programmed instructions following path of recognised symbols.'
'Factories/industries make use of semi-automated vehicles moving goods etc, as well as UAVs.
Enter examples of these into blog, including their level of autonomy. (Do they run non stop 24/7 without human intervention) or does a person have to take over at certain points and revert back to an operator to give it certain instructions? What level would you want, how safe is an entirely autonomous vehicle?'
(Paraphrased instructions.)
Response:
The first semi-autonomous vehicle that sprang to the minds of all our group was the Predator Drone initially introduced by the US-Air force, and now widely used on operations by a number of countries.
The site documenting air-force technology cites the predator as having the following capabilities:
'RQ-1 Predator is a long-endurance, medium-altitude unmanned aircraft system for surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Surveillance imagery from synthetic aperture radar, video cameras and a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) can be distributed in real-time both to the front line soldier and to the operational commander, or worldwide in real-time via satellite communication links. MQ-1, armed with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, is the multi-role version which is used for armed reconnaissance and interdiction.'
The advantages of such a machine are of course that the human element is almost completely removed, it offers the capability to launch and circle
The advantages of UAVs' as with most other semi-autonomous vehicles, is that the human element is separated from the machine. Taking the predator drone as an example, it can be launched and left to circle until needed, conduct pre-programmed surveillance beaming data back for analysis, or indeed any other mission deemed necessary without needing to return to ground for as many hours as it has fuel to fly. The absence of a pilot on board saves a great deal of weight, as the cockpit, and contained air systems are not necessary.
Reference: all data and conclusions came from reading the following web-page and links
Increasingly the farming industry is looking towards more and more mechanised methods to make their methods easier and more efficient.
Particularly as labour becomes less and less easy to come by, and consumer demand more specific. (e.g. fresh goods NOW!)
The following is quoted from the article whose link is displayed above:
Human-based methods of picking cauliflowers involve about 15 people walking in front of a harvester checking cauliflowers to see if they are the right size, cutting them and then placing them in a hopper. All in a few seconds.
No wonder, then, that mistakes are made and the system is not very efficient.
"At the moment they do one pass and anything that's left is usually left to rot away," said Dr Dudley.
Dr Dudley and colleagues at NPL along with agricultural firm Vegetable Harvesting Systems (VHS) are working on robots that are as fast as humans at working out if a cauliflower is ready to be picked.
One prototype has a multi-axis arm and the other is equipped with a blade that simply cuts and gathers.
The concept to use machinery in farming is not a new one, but as the article goes on to illustrate why it is not yet worldwide, the process is complex to negotiate; for example: even when crops are planted in straight lines and fruit picked off of the trees the challenge is not to destroy the plant itself.
So far, getting robots to be as cheap as human has proved difficult and has focussed interest on making more of the vehicles that are already in use on a farm.
"Take tractors," said Professor Stentz. "They pull an implement and with that they can plough, till and hoe. They can plant, spray chemicals and mow the weeds in between trees."
"There's an opportunity to improve all of that by automating and removing the driver," he said.
In conclusion, in the long run the benefits of using automation will cause the processes to be perfected. By removing the human element, safety will be vastly improved. In the long run, processes will be far more effective.
Autonomous machines, as mentioned earlier with UAVs, can work at full capacity all the time i.e. 24 hours a day without breaks if nessecary, they do not tire or require emotional support, only regular standardised maintenance.
But, as yet this is a long way off - the technology is still relatively new, it still requires human input and guidance, and with its progression will come new bridges to cross, for example at which point do autonomous vehicles cross over into artificial intelligence?
