The goal of the project was to develop a networked system with sensors that enables harvest machinery to automatically recognize its surroundings and react to changes. “In this way, the machines can adjust their operation based on the conditions of the field – both its state and the crops present,” says CITEC researcher Dr. Thorsten Jungeblut, who coordinates the project together with Dr. Boris Kettelhoit from CLAAS.
Harvest machinery operators are often only able to see a limited area around the machines. Plants obstruct what can be seen, and the machines themselves limit the view: harvest combines are sometimes as long as a truck. “We therefore had to develop a system that ensures that collisions are prevented, for example with wild animals,” said Jungeblut.