Towards Autonomous Navigation of a Mobile Robot in a Steep Slope Vineyard

This paper explores potential applications of an autonomous all-terrain mobile manipulator (AMM) in the agricultural vineyard environment. A robotic arm mounted on a mobile base performs a spraying task while moving past vines and a bud rubbing task while stopping next to vines. We discuss the challenges of AMM navigation when performing tasks in steep vineyard terrain. The presented navigation approach is based on the use of a heterogeneous robotic system consisting of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and AMM. The navigation information provided by the UAV gives the waypoints for the AMM. We also present preliminary results from navigation simulation, based on digital elevation model (DEM). The model uses real-world data, acquired by UAV photogrammetric measurement campaign. We conclude by highlighting some open problems and related future research directions.