Development of a Research Vehicle Platform to Improve Productivity and Value-extraction in Forestry

In spite of the high level of mechanization in most forestry operations there is a continued need for improvements in productivity and cost effectiveness. Automation of mechanised operations is one possible solution to achieve such improvements but new techniques that can acquire information from the surroundings and make proper analyses rendering in streamlined or new work procedures are prerequisites. Furthermore, product producers buying forest biomaterials often have certain quality wishes. As an addition to automatic work procedures, new technology can further be used to retrieve information for identification and selection of certain tree assortments with different biomaterial properties. In this way, performance-based delivery of tree biomaterial extracted with highly automated work procedures has the possibility to be an enabler to continue the productivity development progress in the forest sector. The objective for this paper is therefore to summarize possible technical needs for and to design an experimental terrain vehicle platform for researchers and machine developers to test and validate new solutions that could improve cost effectiveness in forestry. The platform is designed specifically to test and validate various control systems for autonomy and robotics and also to enable tests and validation of attachments, e.g. to enable better planting procedures or identification of trees with certain properties. Sensors are embedded in the platform to register angles, rotation speed, etc., thus actualising machine automation as an enabler for performance-based delivery of planting or of tree biomaterial assortments.