Autonomous Industrial Robotic Mower Maker Chooses Trimble MB-Two for High-Precision GNSS
Overview
Founded in 2010, Vitirover is a developer of high-precision robotic solutions for industrial vegetation and grass control. The company has created a robot mower to maintain sensitive areas around vineyard vines, which typically have 7,000-12,000 obstacles per hectare. This makes mowing a complex task that requires precision to prevent damage to vines and speed to complete mowing tasks across slopes and counterslopes of many acres.
Photo Credit: Vitirover
Need
The development of the Vitirover robot emerged with an idea to eliminate the limitations in functionality of other automated mowers. For instance, automated mowers typically have mechanical limits, operating within a wired space that must be installed and must be plugged in to collect energy for operation. These systems are typically designed for smooth grass and clean backyards.
Challenge
Key in eliminating the operational limitations of an autonomous mower was to combine powerful solar panels and GNSS for navigation and security. The solar panels ‘fuel’ the robot movement and the GNSS board. When asked about the choice of GNSS, Vitirover’s Chief Technology Officer Xavier David-Beaulieu points to precision and reliability as essential elements. “We knew we needed high-precision. Our first thought was to use a camera, but grass and debris on a vision-based system would quickly cover the camera. GNSS was the answer.”
David-Beaulieu was already familiar with GNSS solutions from Ashtech S.A.S., a French-based GNSS developer. “I’ve used Ashtech boards for a long time and trust them. As part of Trimble, the choice was straightforward.”
When asked about precision, David-Beaulieu noted that standard GNSS have around 1 meter precision, which won’t work for applications such as along a high speed railway or around electrical fields transformers. “We needed a solution that was very accurate, in the centimeter range,” he confirmed. “Autonomous operation near a railway, for instance, requires the robot to operate very accurately between the tracks and the sidewalk.”
The technical team selected the Trimble MB-Two that incorporates the MB-Two Z-Blade technology, which is able to drive the GNSS agnostic engine and acquire over-the-air satellite corrections for RTX through its embedded L-band hardware or get correction from a NTRIP Server for centimeter-level accuracy.
“We needed two GNSS antennas to ensure accurate heading measurements even in areas with magnetic charge, such as railways. On average, the Vitirover achieves 5 cm accuracy,” said David-Beaulieu.
Results
By 2018, the Vitirover industrial mower robot had gone through several iterations. Applications expanded beyond vineyards to
arboriculture farms, photovoltaic farms, railways, electricity transmission network, high voltage power plants, and along
roads and highways.
Today, the industrial grass maintenance robot is an effective alternative to glyphosate, a common possibly carcinogenic herbicide used to kill unwanted plants. Vitirover robots are offered as a service, monitored by the company’s trained technicians. Vitirover developers continue to add new features to the Vitirover mower robot.
This case study was originally posted by Trimble. Click here to see the full case study.
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About Trimble
Trimble is the leading provider of high-precision positioning solutions that maximize productivity and enhance profitability using centimeter-level GNSS technology. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and System Integrators can integrate these technologies to achieve product differentiation and gain a competitive edge in the marketplace.
About Canal Geomatics
Canal Geomatics Inc. is the industry-leading distributor of high-precision positioning solutions in North America, specializing in automotive, airborne, rail, marine, UAS and robotics. Our mission is to find the best solution for each unique application and extend premium support to ensure the long-term success of our customers. Canal Geomatics is a proud supplier of Trimble precision GNSS products.
Trimble MB-Two OEM GNSS Receiver
The Trimble MB-Two is a powerful dual-frequency, lightweight GNSS receiver capable of providing centimeter-level accuracy position and heading. The system allows a wide range of option-upgradable GNSS configurations from single antenna/frequency (GPS) to dual antenna/frequency (GPS, QZSS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo).
The next-generation hardware provides low power consumption in a compact form factor ideal for space-constrained unmanned vehicles and robotics. Two MB-Two modules can be easily connected to each other to build a Precise Platform Positioning module (no firmware upgrade required), utilizing up to four dual-band GNSS antennas for multi-sensory raw data output, precise position and attitude simultaneously.