Vinescout – Agricultural Autonomous robot including built-in sensors navigation system - Banco de Patentes

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a method, system, and a robot for the autonomous navigation through rows of plants or trees. The navigation system is based on built-in sensors instead of relying on GPS guidance. The sensors allow the system to define and navigate a bi-dimensional grid and make the robot capable of operating without human interaction, avoiding obstacles and collisions.

This new system provides complete independence of GPS signal and opens the door to automation on crops where GPS (or other GNSS) technology cannot be permanently granted. A prototype has been tested under real conditions in vineyards placed in Spain and Portugal, with great results. Public demonstrations of the prototype have been done, and media material has been released. This technology has been developed by the researchers from the Agricultural Robotics Lab and a European Patent Application was submitted in July 2020 to protect the whole method, system and robot.