Improved human-tractor interface designs, such as well-accommodated operator enclosures (i.e. cabs and protection frames) can enhance operator productivity, comfort and safety. This study investigated farm-worker anthropometry and determined the critical anthropometric measures and 3-D feature envelopes of body landmarks for the design of tractor operator enclosures. One hundred agriculture wor...

In the new agricultural scenarios, the interaction between autonomous tractors and a human operator is important when they jointly perform a task. Obtaining and exchanging accurate localization information between autonomous tractors and the human operator, working as a team, is a critical to maintaining safety, synchronization, and efficiency during the execution of a mission. An advanced loca...

Introduction Direct energy expenses (diesel, gasoline, propane, electricity) total more than $1 billion annually for Iowa’s farmers. Day-to-day farm management techniques such as adjusting tractor gear and throttle settings or monitoring tractor tire inflation pressures can reduce diesel fuel consumption for row crop production. This study is being conducted over multiple years to measure the e...

Crop protection is mostly carried out spraying active chemical agents with potential impact on the health of environment, operator and consumer. Recently the European Commission played an important role in the protection of the operator with respect to the pesticide contamination during spray application. An active protection offered by tractor cab is a new requirement when the machine is used ...

OBJECTIVES Many childhood farm tractor injuries occur during the performance of work that was assigned by parents, and some tractor work is beyond the developmental capabilities of children. This has been highlighted recently by a policy statement authored by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The objective of this study was 1) to assess child development knowledge of farm parents who received...

Current commercial tractor guidance systems present to the driver information to perform agricultural tasks in the best way. This information generally includes a treated zones map referenced to the tractor's position. Unlike actual guidance systems where the tractor driver must mentally associate treated zone maps and the plot layout, this paper presents a guidance system that using Augmented ...

The ability to define in-field tractor load states offers the potential to better specify and characterize fuel consumption rate for various field operations. For the same field operation, the tractor experiences diverse load demands and corresponding fuel use rates as it maneuvers through straight passes, turns, suspended operation for adjustments, repair and maintenance, and biomass or other ...

A designed lightweight experimental shaker successfully used to collect ornamental oranges has been tested harvest fresh market citrus. The aim of this study was evaluate the removal efficiency and operational times device compared an orchard trunk shaker. Three different collecting systems were studied. ‘Caracara’ citrus trees tested. Removal efficiency, vibration parameters, fruit tree damage...

Abstract Farmers will often have a single tractor which they use for many different types of farmwork. A alone does not do any work, it is essentially always paired with, powering, and/or moving something else, an implement mounted on its front or rear. It particularly common in Europe, where there are small regional manufacturers, that farm contains tractors and implements from companies. The ...