Abstract: A method and system provide the ability to autonomously navigate an orchard cart in an orchard. Data is received from a sensor suite of the orchard cart into a computer. The sensor suite includes two or more sensors with at least one positional sensor and at least one perception sensor. Based on the data, the computer detects objects in the orchard. A row in the orchard consists of the objects. The orchard cart is autonomously navigated, via the computer, through the orchard. The navigation includes autonomously positioning the orchard cart a defined distance from the detected objects with respect to the row, and autonomously maintaining a defined speed of the orchard cart as the orchard cart is navigated down the row, such that the orchard cart avoids the detected object.

Abstract: A location system utilizes a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) antenna array both to detect surface and subsurface road features as well as broadcast transmissions, which are used to improve localization. For example, the GPR antenna may pick up an AM tor FM radio transmission or Wi-Fi signals, and may use these to calculate or refine the estimated position of the vehicle.

Abstract: A method and system provide the ability to autonomously navigate an orchard cart in an orchard. Data is received from a sensor suite of the orchard cart into a computer. The sensor suite includes two or more sensors with at least one positional sensor and at least one perception sensor. Based on the data, the computer detects objects in the orchard. A row in the orchard consists of the objects. The orchard cart is autonomously navigated, via the computer, through the orchard. The navigation includes autonomously positioning the orchard cart a defined distance from the detected objects with respect to the row, and autonomously maintaining a defined speed of the orchard cart as the orchard cart is navigated down the row, such that the orchard cart avoids the detected object.

Abstract: A method and system provide the ability to manage an orchard. Sensor data that represents a first state of the orchard is captured via one or more sensors. The sensor data is captured as the one or more sensors are traveling through the orchard. An almanac is maintained. The almanac provides a state library of sequential states of a representative orchard and a task library for one or more tasks to be performed to transition between the sequential states. A task manager queries the almanac to identify a first task of the one or more tasks and allocates the first task to one or more robots that perform the first task.

Abstract: Surface-penetrating radar (SPR) is used to obtain images of a vehicle's undercarriage and employ these to identify the vehicle (or vehicle type or class). In particular, a vehicle may have a unique undercarriage SPR “signature” that remains largely stable over time, since it is not significantly affected by buildup of dirt, moisture or light debris. Even if the signature is not sufficiently differentiated from those of similar vehicles, it can be used to identify the vehicle within a class, which may be adequate for many purposes.

Abstract: Surface-penetrating radar (SPR) systems provide localization information for provision to a blockchain application. SPR can be used in environments, such as cities, where multipath or shadowing degrades GPS accuracy, or as an alternative to optical sensing approaches that cannot tolerate darkness or changing scene illumination or whose performance can be adversely affected by variations in weather conditions. In particular, SPR can be used to acquire scans containing surface and subsurface features as a vehicle traverses terrain, and the acquired data scans may be compared to reference scan data that was previously acquired within the same environment in order to localize vehicle position within the environment. If the reference scan data has been labeled with geographic location information, a vehicle's absolute location can thereby be determined.

Abstract: A location system utilizes a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) antenna array both to detect surface and subsurface road features as well as broadcast transmissions, which are used to improve localization. For example, the GPR antenna may pick up an AM or FM radio transmission or Wi-Fi signals, and may use these to calculate or refine the estimated position of the vehicle.

Abstract: Doppler analysis of surface-penetrating radar signals are utilized to compute or estimate parameters associated with vehicle motion. The Doppler shift may originate with reflections from subsurface or above-surface features ahead of (or behind) the moving vehicle, in which case a vehicle speed may be computed from the shift; or may originate with reflections from surface or subsurface features directly below the vehicle, in which case the shift corresponds to a vertical speed that may be used to sense the performance of, or changes in, the vehicle's suspension system.