Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University have developed an autonomous driving algorithm for farm robots designed to navigate and operate in raised-bed cultivation environments. The system, developed by Assistant Professor Takuya Fujinaga from the Graduate School of Engineering, enables a robot to travel either to designated locations or alongside elevated cultivation beds using lidar-based environmental mapping.
The robot employs lidar (light detection and ranging) technology, which uses laser pulses to generate three-dimensional data of its surroundings. This allows the machine to maintain a consistent distance from the cultivation beds and move accurately within the field. The algorithm’s functionality was tested in both simulated and real-world conditions, demonstrating its capacity to support high-bed cultivation systems.
The research, published in a peer-reviewed journal, is positioned as an early step toward the broader application of autonomous robots in agriculture. Potential future uses include not only harvesting but also monitoring crops for disease and performing maintenance tasks such as pruning. According to Fujinaga, improving the precision of robotic movement on farms could expand the scope of tasks that can be automated, which may address labor shortages and improve operational efficiency in raised-bed farming systems.
Photo credit: Osaka Metropolitan University
