Autonomous forest vehicles : historic, envisioned, and state-of-the-art

• The feasibility of using autonomous forest vehicles (which can be regarded as logical developments in the ongoing automation of forest machines), the systems that could be applied in them, their potential advantages and their limitations (in the foreseeable future) are considered here. The aims were to analyse: (1) the factors influencing the degree of automation in logging; (2) the technical principles that can be applied to autonomous forest machines, and (3) the feasibility of developing an autonomous path-tracking forest vehicle. A type of vehicle that is believed to have considerable commercial potential is an autonomous forwarder. The degree of automation is influenced by increased productivity, the machine operator as a bottle-neck, cost reduction, and environmental aspects. Technical principles that can be applied to autonomous forest vehicles are satellite navigation, wheel odometry, laser scanner and radar. A new path-tracking algorithm has been developed to reduce deviations from the desired path by utilizing the driver’s steering commands. The presented system has demonstrated both possibilities and difficulties associated with autonomous forest machines. It is in a field study shown that it is quite possible for them to learn and track a path previously demonstrated by an operator with an accuracy of 0.1m on flat ground and also to detect and avoid unexpected obstacles. Although the forest machine safely avoids obstacles, the study shows that further research in the field of obstacle avoidance is needed to optimize performance and ensure safe operation in a real forest environment.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Data- och informationsvetenskap -- Datavetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Computer and Information Sciences -- Computer Sciences (hsv//eng)

LANTBRUKSVETENSKAPER  -- Lantbruksvetenskap, skogsbruk och fiske -- Skogsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES  -- Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries -- Forest Science (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

obstacle detection

path-tracking

robotic

system architecture

Computer science

Datavetenskap

Forest engineering

Skogsteknik

computer and systems sciences

data- och systemvetenskap

samhällsfarmaci

Social Pharmacy

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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