PAALI: Precision Agriculture Alignment Instrument

Last Updated: 09/01/2025 12:11     Created at: 20/12/2024 13:04

Slides of NAVISP EL1-067 now available. 

On Wednesday, December 18, 2024, the results of the NAVISP EL1-067 activity, “PAALI: Precision Agriculture Alignment Instrument” were presented. The project created a high-precision relative positioning and attitude solution tailored for precision agriculture. Sensor fusion and machine vision being the driving technologies, the initiative addressed the growing demand for actual cm-level accuracy in agricultural operations, such as seeding, for maximum crop yields.

The team managed to achieve the following:

• High-Precision Relative Positioning:
  A solution was developed to estimate the relative position and orientation between a tractor and trailer. The system achieved under 1 cm position deviation and 1 degree attitude estimation during field tests.
• Cost-Effective and Modular Prototype:
  A Precision Agriculture Demonstrator (PAD) system was created, integrating a Septentrio GNSS receiver with RTK, stereo cameras and auxiliary sensors. It was designed for real-time operation at 20-30Hz and demonstrated robustness in challenging field conditions such as kicked up dust and uneven terrain.
• Innovative Machine Vision and Sensor Fusion:
  The system employed camera-based relative pose estimation integrated in the open-source Robotic Operating System (ROS). It also explored direct measurements without extensive reliance on kinematic models, making it adaptable to various articulated machinery applications.
• Extensive Testing and Validation:
  The PAD system was rigorously tested in laboratory and field conditions. Field trials with tractor-seeder setups confirmed the solution’s functionality under real-world constraints, including dust, light variability, and mechanical stress.

The Q&A session was animated by the panellists with interesting topics.

The project was part of ESA’s NAVISP Element 1, which supports innovation and disruptive technologies across the Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) value chain. The slides from the final presentation can be found here.