Relating Pull Forces and Power Consumption on Small Scale Autonomous Vehicles

With The Earth's Population Predicted To Reach Approximately 9 Billion People By 2050, Improvements In Technology Are Needed To Ensure A Stable Food Supply, While Reducing The Environmental Impact Of Traditional Agricultural Practices. Research Is Being Conducted On Small Scale Autonomous Vehicles And Their Abilities To Perform Agricultural Tasks, Such As Tillage And Planting. Many Benefits Could Arise From The Use Of Small Autonomous Vehicles Including Reduced Soil Compaction, Lower Energy And Material Inputs, Reduced Air Pollution, And Decreased Manual Labor. The feasibility of such vehicles is currently being investigated with the use of a small, tracked AgDrone. To better understand the capabilities of this machine, a series of static and dynamic pull tests were conducted using a load cell and a myRio data acquisition system. With this data, a relationship between pull force and power consumption was developed. This relationship provided much needed information on the AgDrone's ability to replace current large scale tractors, while increasing the efficiency of common production agriculture tasks. After the data was analyzed, it was determined that modifications to the AgDrone as well as farming implements and methods are needed before the AgDrone is able to replace large scale agriculture equipment.