‘Hands-free hectare’ harvested

A hectare of spring barley has been sown and harvested in England using only robotic machines and technology.

The world’s first autonomous harvest has been achieved by a group of researchers and students at Harper Adams University in Shropshire in association with Precisions Decisions.

Without setting foot in the onehectare field, the group remotely managed to perform all tasks associated with the crop including preparing the ground, sowing the seeds, maintaining the crop and subsequently the harvest.

Known as the ‘Hands-Free Hectare’ the project was set up last October by the team with financial assistance of £200,000 in government funding.

With this they were able to convert a small Iseki tractor and a 25-year-old combine harvester with a two-metre header into autonomous robots with cameras, lasers and GPS systems.

As no one was allowed to step in the field, drones were used to scoop up soil samples and take crop samples for testing.

Project leader Kit Franklin said: “The combine is using very similar systems to the ones we established on the tractor that we used for spraying, drilling and rolling our hectare.

“There are a large number of actuators to move and control all of the systems on the combine which have had to be fitted.”

The goal of the project was to examine methods of reducing soil compaction and damage by using less heavy machinery during the growing season and harvest.

Mr Franklin added: “Automation is the future of farming, but we’re at a stage where farm machinery has got to unsustainable sizes.”

He believes smaller, smarter vehicles are the future, as they can work with greater precision and reduce harmful soil compaction.

Rain did hamper the harvest once it got going but there were other challenges the team had to overcome during the entire experience.

Whilst sowing, the tractor did not keep to a straight line, which meant the crop was sown in irregular rows.

There were also some issues when reconfiguring the tractor to operate a sprayer once all the drilling and rolling was completed.

Team agronomist Kieran Walsh said: “As the crop was drilled late, disease levels have been fairly low.

“For this project it’s worked rather well, maybe a little compromise in yield, but it’s allowed us to always be protecting the crop from disease.

“I’ve also received plant samples from the robot scout; it’s driven out over the field on set points and scooped up soil and plant samples.

“These are then brought back to mission control for us to examine,” he added.

A hectare of spring barley has been sown and harvested in England using only robotic machines and technology.