Latest news with #GNSS-based
Indian Express
21-07-2025
- Automotive
- Indian Express
Move over Tesla, Punjab agri univ get farming future ready as it tills a field with driver-less tractor
A tractor tilling a farm is nothing unusual in Punjab. But a tractor tilling a farm on its own, without a driver in saddle to steer it, is surely unusual. This unusual sight was seen Monday as Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) unveiling its Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-based auto-steering system for tractors with a live demonstration at its research farm. The tractor in question, with a cultivator attached, moved through the farm creating furrows and raising dust, even navigating the turns and bends with ease, evoking whoops of joy from onlookers. Vice-Chancellor (V-C) of the university, Dr S S Gosal, later termed the live demonstration as a major milestone in 'PAU's transition from conventional farming to digital, precision-based agriculture'. The GNSS-based system, he said, facilitates driver-less movement of the tractor. The computer-controlled system uses signal receivers, sensors and cameras for smooth navigation in precision agriculture and reduces human effort. Gosal said that the 'auto-steering system is a satellite-guided, computer-assisted tool designed to automate steering during tractor operations'. 'By combining signals from multiple satellite constellations with sensors and a touchscreen control console, the system guides tractors along accurate, predefined paths. It ensures consistent steering even in low-light conditions, reducing fatigue, overlap, and missed areas during fieldwork,' Gosal said. Key components of the system include a GNSS receiver for accurate positioning, a wheel angle sensor to track steering movement, and a motorised steering unit. The ISOBUS-compliant console allows for advanced features such as auto headland turns, skip-row functionality, and custom turn patterns. The operator can switch between manual and automatic modes with a single button. 'Field data from PAU trials show the system's strong performance. With manual steering, field implements like disc harrow, cultivator, rotavator, and PAU smart seeder showed overlaps between 3 to 12 per cent. With the auto-steering system, these overlaps dropped to about 1 per cent. Missed areas reduced from 2 to 7 per cent to under 1 per cent. The system maintained an impressive pass-to-pass accuracy of ±3 cm, leading to better resource use and consistent crop establishment,' the PAU said in statement Gosal said that the launch of this system reflects the PAU's decisive push towards digital transformation in agriculture. The university is not just embracing technology for the sake of innovation, but as a necessary shift to keep farming profitable, efficient, and sustainable, he remarked. He pointed out that digital tools like auto-steering not only improve productivity but also lighten the physical burden on farmers. Dr Ajmer Singh Dhatt, Director of Research, PAU, observed that advancements including machine learning, sensor networks, and navigation technologies are essential in view of shrinking natural resources and rising input costs. According to him, scientific and scalable solutions like the auto-steering system are the future of Indian agriculture. Dr Rishi Pal Singh, Registrar of PAU, recalled how the university's innovations recently received national recognition when the Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan operated PAU's sensor-based, remote-controlled paddy transplanter during a demonstration in Patiala. The university also held a live demonstration of the remote paddy transplanter. Dr Manjeet Singh, Dean, College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, explaining the university's remote-controlled two-wheel paddy transplanter, said that the machine allows farmers to operate from shaded areas, drastically reducing exposure to heat and humidity during transplantation. He said the technology has shown remarkable results, including up to 12 per cent increase in field capacity, 85 per cent reduction in fatigue, and a 40 per cent drop in labour requirements. Both the driver-less tractor and the remote paddy transplanter may go a long way in cutting down on labour costs too, experts said. The university also informed about its progress in precision irrigation. The Centre for Water Technology and Management is developing (internet of things-) IoT-based irrigation systems that monitor soil moisture, water levels, and weather in real time. These systems automate irrigation scheduling for crops like rice, wheat, maize, and summer moong. Trials in Sangrur have shown improvements in water use efficiency, reduced greenhouse emissions, and lower energy and labour input.
New Indian Express
26-04-2025
- Automotive
- New Indian Express
Satellite-based toll collection may take few more years: NHAI
BENGALURU: Officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) have said that the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-based electronic toll collection system will not be implemented anytime soon. The officials, who were part of a pilot study in this regard, said that absence of On-Board Units (OBU) in many vehicles and privacy concerns regarding their exact location being shared are some of the reasons for this decision. It may take a few years for the launch of the satellite-based toll collection system. An NHAI official said they selected Bengaluru-Mysuru access-controlled highway and Panipat-Hisar highway in Haryana last year for the pilot study along with the FASTag facility. 'Compared to the existing toll collection facility, GNSS-based system will only collect the fee based on the distance travelled. OBUs will send signals when the vehicles enter and exit the geo-fence of the highway. Based on the distance travelled, the toll will be deducted/collected. A stretch of Bengaluru-Mysuru highway was selected and geo-fenced for the study. A report was submitted to NHAI officials after conducting the study last year,' the official said. He said the project could not be implemented anytime soon because only a few vehicles have OBUs. All vehicles should have OBUs. Privacy concerns regarding vehicle's exact location being shared should be addressed. 'So FASTag-based toll collection will continue,' he said. He said NHAI will soon introduce Automatic Number Plate Recognition-based barrier-less tolling system in select toll booths. 'ANPR- based barrier-less tolling system soon' 'So the FASTag-based toll collection will continue,' the official said. He said NHAI will soon introduce Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR)- based barrier-less tolling system in select toll booths across the country. 'Under this system, there will be cameras to track the vehicle's entry and exit. Here, the vehicle's number plate will be scanned by high-resolution ANPR cameras and FASTag readers. This will avoid stopping of vehicles at toll plazas,' he said.
