Diseño, implementación y evaluación de un sistema de asistencia al guiado GPS para tractores agrícolas, empleando tecnologías de realidad aumentada

Abstract

The bounds between the real and virtual world are becoming increasingly blurred. Information provided by digital systems is more present each day in our daily activities. A good example of this is the development of Augmented Reality (AR). The present project develops a system based on Augmented Reality (AR) and GPS technologies which is designed to assist the guidance of tractors through agricultural plots. The tractor employed in this project has been equipped with a laptop, LCD monitor, a Web-camera Genius VideoCAM Slim USB2 able to capture 640x480 at 25 fps, and a Novatel Smart Antenna V1 GPS receiver configured to provide positioning data at a frequency of 5 Hz. AR is a versatile technology, which applied to agricultural guidance systems, provides clear and precise information, improving the existing mechanisms. The following chapters explain the main aspects and topics behind the project and offer an account of the conclusions derived from the theoretical and practical studies involved in our research. As the final stage of this project, the new guidance system was tried out in several plots in Aguilar de Bureba (Burgos). The successful testing proves the efficiency and viability of an AR-based guidance system as an inexpensive device which can be quickly and easily implemented. The relevance of the present project can also be judged in terms of its potential of future developments. One possible implementation would be the inclusion of see-through glasses, with an inertial system detecting users� gaze, as part of the device.