Fasterholt’s new, autonomous concept machine handles the runs both back and forth by itself. Along the way, it places both wheels and hose precisely in the two existing wheel tracks.
When they say precision irrigation, they mean it literally, as it applies to both water application and the placement of wheels and hose. Using RTK-GNSS and four-wheel steering, the unique control system ensures that the machine drives precisely in the two existing wheel tracks, with the hose placed in one of them. This minimises crop damage.
The irrigator is turbine-driven, which means that it irrigates both on the way out and on the way home. At the same time, the speed is adjusted with great accuracy using Vario, allowing the applied water volume to be controlled precisely.
The boom, which is 36 metres wide, is divided into sections and fitted with sprinklers. The applied water volume can be adjusted at section level and can therefore be adapted to various parameters such as soil conditions, curve driving, wedges and the like. This provides more tailored irrigation while requiring fewer working hours and less fuel.
Operation
•Information from field maps and weather stations, such as crop, hydrants, wheel tracks, rainfall and more, is transferred to the app
•The machine is towed to the field behind a tractor as usual
•The hydraulic boom is unfolded, and the machine is connected to the hydrant
•A previously saved run is selected, or the desired water volume and any irrigation zones are entered in the app
•The machine is started and hose reeling, irrigation and returning by itself
•Back again, the machine positions itself in transport position
•The machine can then be started on the same run, a new run from the same hydrant, or moved to a new field
The boom
The boom is divided into six-metre sections and fitted with low-pressure sprinklers. This allows the water volume to be regulated individually from section to section, so that the entire field receives an appropriate amount of water. This is particularly important because the machine is based on the Fasterholt method of curve driving, and the sectioning prevents overwatering on the inside of the curves. The same principle applies to wedges and the like.
The new features
As something new, the concept machine places the hose in one of the wheel tracks instead of in a track of its own. This is done using an active hose reeler, which lays the hose in the track without dragging it to the sides, even though the hose is kept tightened at all times. This feature allows the hose to be guided with centimetre accuracy.
This means that while other irrigation machines today leave three tracks in the crop when driving straight and five tracks when driving in curves, this autonomous concept machine leaves only two. As a result, far fewer crops are lost.
Last but not least, everything can be controlled remotely from an app, and thanks to its autonomy, the machine does not need to be towed out into the field by a tractor. Together, this reduces both working hours and fuel consumption.
Future prospects
The autonomous concept machine is expected to lay the foundation for the next generation of Fasterholt Maskinfabrik's irrigation machines. Once this machine has been realised, work will begin on how future autonomous irrigation machines can be adapted in size and capacity to the farmer's needs. This means that in the future the choice of machine may depend, among other things, on the desired working width based on the farmer's existing machinery, such as sprayer, seed drill and so on.
Because the need to adapt the machines to individual requirements is already being considered, the control system and data foundation are being built on software designed for updates and adaptation.
