Students who produce 'agricultural weed-destroying vehicle' expect a first place in TEKNOFEST final

Beykent University IEEE Student Branch project team, which developed the agricultural unmanned land vehicle 'AG', has become a finalist of the TEKNOFEST Aerospace and Technology Festival for Agricultural UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle) this year, just like last year. Stating that they aim to increase productivity in agriculture with their robots moving on land with the idea of ending weeds in agriculture, Electrical and Electronics Engineering student Batuhan Sabun said, "The purpose of the vehicle is to eliminate and destroy the weed by spraying the herbicide in the tank on top of the weed it encounters. We're very excited and we want to take first place."

The Aerospace and Technology Festival (TEKNOFEST) is being held at Istanbul Atatürk Airport again this year under the auspices of the Turkish Technology Team Foundation and the Ministry of Industry and Technology. The festival, which runs from April 27 to May 1, will feature 41 main competitions in 102 different categories. The teams that made it to the final of the festival started to be determined. The Agricultural UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle), designed by the Beykent University IEEE Student Branch project team and aimed to increase productivity in agriculture with land-moving robots, was shortlisted. In the statement made by TEKNOFEST, it was reported that more than 13 million liras will be awarded in the competitions.

VEHICLE CAPTURES THE ENTIRE TERRAIN AND STARTS WEED ERADICATION

Stating that they have further developed their vehicle and improved themselves compared to last year, Batuhan Sabun said, "The aim of our project is to ensure weed eradication in any agricultural land either manually or autonomously with the herbicide it sprays. Its autonomous operation has been prepared by our software developer friends for months. A farmer who buys this vehicle will be able to install it and start it without touching the vehicle in any way. With the GPS module, the whole environment can be scanned by computer. The vehicle will capture the entire terrain. Then it will start weed eradication one by one."

THE VEHICLE CAN BE OPERATED BOTH AUTOMATICALLY AND MANUALLY

Stating that the vehicle can be operated both autonomously and manually, Sabun said, "We are now a finalist and competing against about 33 teams here. On a 5-10 meter course, we will compete on a dirt terrain with various obstacles, ridges, and bulges. Here, our vehicle will proceed smoothly and recognize the weed that we have introduced to its artificial intelligence and spray herbicides on it. Our goal, of course, is to take the first place and to improve ourselves every year and get even better."

"WE ARE A TEAM OF ELECTRICAL, ELECTRONIC, SOFTWARE, MECHATRONICS AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERS"

Sabun described their team of about 9 people as follows:

"We work together as electrical and electronics engineers, software engineers, mechatronics engineers and mechanical engineers. The mechanical engineer provides the vehicle's pulley, structure, chassis, wheels and ensures all of these work together. As electronics engineers, I am responsible for all the electronics of the vehicle, the energy that the engines need and the operation of all the remaining sensors. Of course, all of this requires a brain, a microprocessor, which is taken care of by our friends in the software department."

"WILL BE ABLE TO CHARGE ITSELF"

Noting that they were very excited about the competition, Sabun said, "We are working hard. As always, unexpected errors occur at the last second. We're trying to figure them out. We will further develop the vehicle in the future. For example, the vehicle might be able to charge itself."