Specification Sheet.pdf

Specification Sheet

Quadruped Robot

Background

USDA, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Genetic Improvement of Fruits and Vegetables Lab (GIFVL) in Beltsville, MD requires the purchase of a quadruped robot brand name or equal to the Unitree GO1 Educational robot plus LIDAR to map plants in our research fields and to carry equipment to capture images and data of research plants.

Requirements

• The robot must be able to function in fields under restricted airspace without any permissions.

• The robot must be able to move across rough terrain, including through straw and muddy ground without falling or getting stuck. Foot-force sensors are ideal.

• It must be able to move in the space between the strawberry beds, about 2.5 ft wide. Flags and irrigation misters on poles that are in the beds and would be in the way of a robot that straddles a bed

• It must be able to avoid researchers in the field by stopping until the researcher moves out of its way.

• It must be able to right itself without damaging research beds or plants if it does fall.

• It must be able to avoid stepping on plastic beds, irrigation lines, sensors, and into newly formed groundhog holes. Multiple sensors with stereo depth and hypersonic sensors are ideal.

• It must not compact the ground from being too heavy alone or with equipment on it.

• Must be able to “map” the entire field and “see” the field, its components, and surrounding area in 3-D. Lidar with multiple spinning laser-detecting pairs is ideal for this function.

• It must be able to have items mounted on its back or other body locations, such as the robotic arm being designed by our University of Maryland (UMD) robotics engineer collaborator.

• It must be stable enough to support a laptop, a robotic arm, and a camera while the arm moves the camera over the bed to collect images of the research plants from multiple angles.

• It must be able to stop or move slowly at a pace appropriate for the robotic arm to move across the bed and collect images.

• It must be easy enough to program that an agricultural researcher with a Bachelor of Science (BS), Master of Science (MS), or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) can program and operate it.

• Must be programmable using widely accepted Python programming language considered most appropriate for all the required functions for this research.

• It must be able to find its charging station and re-charge as needed.

• Both the robot and charging station must be portable and light and small enough for a single person to lift and place in the back of a SUV or minivan.

• It must be programmable to geolocate and label individual research plants and to relate them to other plants based on location.

• The robot must be able to utilize Global Positioning Systems and Real Time Kinetics information to assist with geospatial location.

• It must be programmable to collect, organize, analyze, and transmit image data and analysis results.

• 1-year manufacturer’s warranty in writing and user manuals are required

• We request that the vendor, be available for technical support by phone and email during the expected lifetime of the robot (at least five years).

Testing and Verification

The robotics engineer collaborator in the NACA will confirm proper function of the robot upon arrival.

Government Furnished Property

A fork-lift can be provided to unload the packaged robot, charger, and associated packing material if needed and between 7:00 am to 2:00 pm weekdays, excluding government holidays.

Data Requirements

None

Packaging and Shipping

Vendor must alert us of any special requirements for unloading, such as a skid loader. Packaging must ensure that the robot and accessories are not damaged during shipping. Vendor must provide shipper information and tracking information. Delivery cannot be made on weekends, federal holidays, or outside the hours of 7:00 am to 4:00 pm or after 2:00 pm if a skid loader is required.

Shipping address:

Kim Lewers USDA-ARS-BARC WEST, Building 010A 10300 Baltimore Avenue Beltsville, Maryland 20705 Cell: 240-463-5654