While grapes are being harvested throughout Italy, the Politecnico di Milano is looking to the future of viticulture with an innovative approach that combines mechanics, IT and digital simulation. A team of researchers from the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Electronics, Information and Bioengineering at the Politecnico di Milano has developed a system to test and optimize self-driving strategies for agricultural tractors in a virtual environment.
The study presents a complete methodology for creating realistic vineyard scenarios and evaluating control algorithms for autonomous driving. The goal is not simply to reduce the human presence, but to provide a high-fidelity digital environment in which to develop, verify and safely improve agricultural automation solutions based on sensors and predictive algorithms.
The research has made it possible to create a “digital twin” of the vineyard, capable of reproducing slopes, soil irregularities and row layout. Tractors equipped with low-cost GNSS and IMU sensors and guided by advanced algorithms have been tested in this virtual environment, vehicles capable of moving autonomously between rows and of performing off-field turning maneuvers with the utmost precision.
Federico Cheli, professor at the Politecnico di Milano, Department of Mechanical Engineering, said, “Our approach combines terrain modelling, advanced control and realistic sensors in a single simulation environment. This speeds up research and reduces the risks and costs of real field tests."
According to the researchers, the use of realistic simulations not only reduces the risks and costs of field tests, but can also become a useful tool for operator training. It can accelerate the adoption of new agricultural technologies.
