Design, Fabrication and Evaluation of a Remote-Controlled Automatic Corn seeder Sowing Machine

I. INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND STUDY

Crop seeding is a time-consuming and tedious activity for farmers and is only exacerbated in

large agriculture fields. Manually sowing seeds by hand is a highly inefficient process that requires

a lot of human effort and can lead to health concerns for farmers, while spreading seedlings using

tractors results in a high wastage of seedlings. This research paper describes the development of

a low-cost agricultural robot for crop seeding. The prototype system consists of two parts,

namely a mobile base for robot movement and a seeding mechanism attached to the mobile base

for crop seeding application. The mobile base has a four-wheel design to ease movement on

uneven terrains, while the seeding mechanism uses the concept of a crank-slider to continuously

inject seedlings into the ground. Crop seeding tests show that the robot is able to sow 138

seedlings in 5 min, with an accuracy of 92%, compared to 102 seedlings by human workers. This

demonstrates an increase in the crop seeding efficiency of over 35%. As for the battery life test, it

was determined that the robot can function for up to 4 h on a single charge. Thus, there will not

be an increase in the operation time and reduction in the efficiency of the crop seeding process

due to the recharging times when human workers are replaced with the prototype system. The

recharging duration for the robot power supply is 1.5 h. While the prototype system has

successfully achieved its objective of reducing human interference, labor requirement, and the

overall operating costs in the field of agriculture for crop seeding process, by making the robot

fully autonomous, using either a rail- or line-following system, labor costs can be further reduced

as an operator is not required to manually steer the robot to each seeding path.
 1.2 CONCEPTUAL FRAEWORK

The development of a remote-controlled automatic corn seeder sowing machine is

formulated following the input-process-output model.

PROCESS
 Development of
INPUT the Device
OUTPUT
 Fabrication
 Remote-
 Planning  Programming
Controlled
 Concept and design  Preliminary
Automatic Corn
 Materials Testing
Seeder Sowing
 Tools and  Modification and
Machine
Equipment adjustment
 Final Testing
 Evaluation

FEEDBACK

It is therefore an application guide that avails the developers with novel agricultural

technology whose development will bring to farmers increased efficiency and productivity in farming.

It highlights the steps taken in its design towards the creation of the Sowing Remote-Controlled

Automatic Corn Seeder. It eliminates some of the critical weaknesses of the manual method of

sowing. Changes in some of the techniques can be implemented by those research scientists who

work in the field of sowing mechanisms towards improving the operability process.
 1.3 OBJECTIVES

The aim of this project is to design and construct a remote-controlled self-operating corn

planter machine regarding its ability to accurately plant corn seeds without using human energy labor

were gathering in the efficiency of optimum seed position for maximum production per unit area of

the field.

Whereas the secondary objective of this project is to analyze the working performance of

the fabricated corn seed planter in aspects such as its operating capability, efficiency of seed

deposition, the amount of fuel used, the type of soil, and the effectiveness of this device as compared

to normal manual or machine aided planting methods.

1.4 ASSUMPTION OF THE STUDY

These null hypotheses will provide a framework for testing whether the proposed

enhancements and functionalities of the trap lead to measurable improvements in effectiveness

against rice field insect pests.

Null Hypothesis 1 (H0₁): The prototype of the Remote-Controlled Battery-Powered Seed Sowing

Machine does not effectively navigate rough fields, resulting in poor mobility and operational

limitations.

Null Hypothesis 2 (H0₂): The seeding mechanism does not achieve an accuracy of at least 90% in seed

placement, indicating no significant improvement in seeding precision compared to traditional

methods.

Null Hypothesis 3 (H0₃): The robot does not plant at least 130 seeds in 5 minutes, demonstrating no

significant increase in seeding efficiency over manual methods.

Null Hypothesis 4 (H0₄): The implementation of autonomous navigation does not significantly reduce

the need for human operators, resulting in similar levels of human intervention as traditional seeding

methods.
Null Hypothesis 5 (H0₅): The Remote-Controlled Battery-Powered Seed Sowing Machine does not

perform effectively in real agricultural conditions, showing no improvement in overall productivity or

efficiency compared to conventional seeding techniques.

1.5 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS

A seed sowing machine is a tool that facilitates the planting of seeds in a preferred position,

helping farmers save time and money in the process. Thus, taking into account these aspects

pertaining to seeding and spraying, an effort is made to create and manufacture such machinery that

will be capable of carrying out the tasks more effectively and also will lead to a reduced price. Use a

novel approach to reduce operating costs.

• Perform dependably in a variety of working environments.

• Reduce the machine's price.

• Reduce labor costs by improving the spraying technique.

• The machine can run on one acre of modest farmland.

• Constructing a machine that can execute both the operation seed sowing machine is a device that

aids in seeding

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

It develops an automated solution, which addresses the problems with traditional manual

sowing methods, which are usually time-consuming and labor-intensive, thus increasing operational

costs and the health risks associated with workers. This further ensures better productivity and

sustainability in corn farming as the machine is designed to prevent seed wastage, through proper

seed placement in the ground, which will also enhance crop yields. This adaptability in seeder,

however, enhances its versatility by making it an invaluable tool for farmers operating in diverse

agricultural environments. Its adaptability not only supports local farming practices but also promotes

efficiency in resource use, thus contributing to sustainable farming efforts. In a broader aspect, the

study supports advancement in agricultural technology, that is, a response to the pressing need for

innovations as the world faces ever-increasing population and demand for food. The research can

influence policy decisions and investments in agricultural technology through insightful cost-
effectiveness and other operational advantages of using an automated seeding machine. This study

would therefore be helpful in more general terms for contribution to food security, improved

livelihoods of the farmer, and environmentally friendly agriculture.

1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS

2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Mahesh R. Pundkar and A. K. Mahalle are presented review provides brief information about

the various types of innovations done in seed sowing machine available for plantation. The seed

sowing machine is a key component of agriculture field. The performance of seed sowing device has a

remarkable influence on the cost and yield of agriculture products. Presently there are many

approaches to detect the performance of seed-sowing device. Depth of seeding has shown to be an

important factor affecting seeding vigor and crop yield. Seed metering device is a heart of seed

sowing machine which is evaluated for seed distance, seed size between seed varieties. High precision

pneumatic planters have been developed for many varieties of crops, for a wide range of seed sizes,

resulting to uniform seeds distribution along the travel path, in seed spacing.

Laukik P. Raut and et. al., studied to meet the food requirements of the growing population

and rapid industrialization, modernization of agriculture is inescapable. Mechanization enables the

conservation of inputs through precision in metering ensuring better distribution, reducing quantity

needed for better response and prevention of losses or wastage of inputs applied. Mechanization

reduces unit cost of production through higher productivity and input conservation. Farmers are using

the same methods and equipment for the ages. In our country farming is done by traditional way,

besides that there is large development of industrial and service sector as compared to that of

agriculture. The spraying is traditionally done by labor carrying backpack type sprayer which requires

more human effort. The weeding is the generally done with the help of Bulls which becomes costly for

farmers having small farming land. So, to overcome these above two problems a machine is

developed which will be beneficial to the farmer for the spraying and weeding operations. D. Ramesh

and H. P. Girishkumar presented review provides brief information about the various types of
innovations done in seed sowing equipment. The basic objective of sowing operation is to put the

seed and fertilizer in rows at desired depth and seed to seed spacing, cover the seeds with soil and

provide proper compaction over the seed. The recommended row to row spacing, seed rate, seed to

seed spacing and depth of seed placement vary from crop to crop and for different agro-climatic

conditions to achieve optimum yields. Seed sowing devices plays a wide role in agriculture field.

Pranil V. Sawalakhe and et. al., are investigated the today’s era is marching towards the rapid

growth of all sectors including the agricultural sector. To meet the future food demands, the farmers

have to implement the new techniques which will not affect the soil texture but will increase the

overall crop production. This Paper deals with the various sowing methods used in India for seed

sowing and fertilizer placement. The comparison between the traditional sowing method and the new

proposed machine which can perform a number of simultaneous operations and has number of

advantages. As day by day the labor availability becomes the great concern for the farmers and labor

cost is more, this machine reduces the efforts and total cost of sowing the seeds and fertilizer

placement.

Sridhar H, studied every year in INDIA, an average of 1980 Cr of rupees is wasted due to

weeds. Our country faces the total loss of 33% of its economy from Weeds. The Losses are due to

some of the following reasons, total loss of 26% from Crop Diseases, total loss of 20% from Insects

and Worms, total loss of 6% from Rats. Has been Surveyed. Shrinking farm lands, acute labor

shortage, decreasing income per acre of cultivation, and economic frustration are some of the key

factors hurting a farmer's confidence in continuing farming. Weeding control is done by: mechanical

weeding, thermal weeding: flaming, biological control, chemical control, and by farming pattern. It

has always been a problem to successfully and completely remove weeds and other innocuous plants.

Invariably, weeds always grow where they are not wanted. This work involved the design and

construction of mechanical weeder, after discovering that tools such as cutlass and hoes require high

drudgery, time consuming and high labor force. As a solution to these problems, mechanical weeder

was designed and constructed. The mechanical weeder was made of two implements attachment i.e.

the primary cutting edge which is in front to lose soil above and the secondary cutting edge which is
behind to do cutting and lifting of weeds. The overall machine field efficiency was 98.67%. The Single

Wheel Weeder being manufactured is the equipment, which is used for very special purpose when

the weeding is required at narrow places or between rows. The blade is thin but very sturdy and

tough besides, it is very safe to use and offers zero threat of hurting to the user, Other than the

wheel, there is nothing mechanical in this single wheel weeder but, it works wonderfully under the

condition where it is put into. This hassle-free equipment requires no special maintenance. It is

necessary to design the weeder which minimize the human effort and provide efficient work output.

The tool which is designed is able to fulfill the present requirement for the weed control. The present

design is directed to an improved manual tilling, mulching and weeding tool.

D. Ramesh and H .P. Girishkumar discussed the information about the various types of

innovations done in seed sowing machine available for plantation. The seed sowing machine is a key

component of agriculture field. The performance of seed sowing device has a remarkable influence on

the cost and yield of agriculture products. Presently there are many approaches to detect the

performance of seed-sowing device. Depth of seeding has shown to be an important factor affecting

seeding vigor and crop yield. Seed metering device is a heart of seed sowing machine which is

evaluated for seed distance, seed size between seed varieties. for a wide range of seed sizes, resulting

to uniform seeds distribution along the travel path, in seed.

Varikuti Vasantha Rao and et. al. presented the design and implementation of multiple

power supplied fertilizer sprayer has been presented. The proposed system is the modified model of

the two-stroke petrol engine powered sprayer which minimizes the difficulties of the existing power

sprayer such as operating cost, changing of fuel etc. The two stroke petrol engine has been replaced

by a direct current motor and operated by the electrical energy stored in the battery attached to the

unit. The battery can be charged by Battery panel during the presence of sun. It could also be

operated on direct current during rainy and cloudy weather conditions. This system can be used for

spraying pesticides, fungicides, fertilizers and paints. The proposed system has been tested and

compared with theoretical values of current and charging time. From the results it is found that the

time taken to charge the full battery of capacity 12V, 7Ah has required 16.67 hours. The fully charged
battery could be used to spray 575 liters pesticides. Which is approximately covers 5-6 acres of land. It

is also found that, if we charge the battery for a day, then it covers approximately 200 liters of

pesticides which in turn covers 2 to 2.5 acres of land. The developed systems initial cost is little more

as compared to conventional sprayer but the running cost of the system is all most zero in other

words minimum.

Ayesha Akhtar and et. al., studied the brief information about the various different types of

innovations done in seed sowing machine available for plantation. The machine for seed sowing is a

key component of agriculture field. Cotton is a significant beneficial harvest and extensively traded

commodity across the world. This paper aims at promoting a new method of sowing cotton seeds

through punching mechanism. The efficiency rate of the mechanism is higher than the usually

undertaken manually operating methods. The basic objective of sowing operation is to put the seed

and fertilizer in rows at desired depth and seed to seed spacing, covering of seeds with soil and to

provide proper compaction over the seed.

Mohd Taufik Ahmad, are presented the weed management is one of the tedious operations

in vegetable production. Because of labor costs, time and tedium, manual weeding is unfavorable.

The introduction of chemical weed control methods has alleviated these undesirable factors.

However, the emergence of herbicide-resistant weeds, environmental impact and increasing demand

for chemical free foods has led to investigations of alternative methods of weed control. Most

implements employing mechanical cultivation cannot perform weed control close to the crops, and

existing intra-row weeders have limitations. A mechanical weeding actuation system was designed,

and a prototype was constructed. This actuator was developed to mechanically control intra-row

weed plants. The mechanical weeding actuator consisted of a belt drive system powered by an

integrated servo motor and a rotating tine weeding mechanism powered by a brushless dc motor.

One of the major challenges in this project was to properly design the actuator and its weeding

mechanism for effective intra-row weed control. A prototype actuator was manufactured and a series

of tests was conducted to determine actuator efficacy and the corresponding force and speed

requirements of the actuator. The actuator would be combined with a machine vision system for
detecting crop plant locations and guiding the weeding actuator to execute mechanical weeding

operations without damaging crops. In the first field experiment, the performance of the first version

of the intra-row weeder was investigated across three factors: working depth, travel speed and tine

mechanism rotational speed.

R. Joshua, V. Vasu and P. Vincent are discussed the Energy - demand” is one the major thread

for our country. Finding solutions, to meet the “Energy - demand” is the great challenge for Social

Scientist, Engineers, Entrepreneurs and Industrialist of our Country. According to them, Applications

of Non-conventional energy is the only alternate solution for conventional energy demand. Now-a-

days the Concept and Technology employing this non-conventional energy becomes very popular for

all kinds of development activities. One of the major areas, which finds number applications are in

Agriculture Sectors. Battery energy plays an important role in drying agriculture products and for

irrigation purpose for pumping the well water in remote villages without electricity. This Technology

on Battery energy can be extended for spraying pesticides, Fungicides and Fertilizers etc., using

Battery Sprayers. This paper deals how a ‘Power Sprayer’ which is already in use and works with fossil

fuel can be converted into Battery sprayers works without any fossil fuel.

3. METHODOLOGY

3.1 MATERIAL AND METHODS

Working Principle:

Why we used seed sowing machine?

The Automated seed sowing technology is a method design in order to reduce the human

efforts as it requires less amount of manmade labor and can be handle efficiently without a skilled

operator. Seeding manually requires lots of time, therefore this technology develops which eradicated

much amount of time with proper efficiency, less time consuming, accuracy in sowing seed at specific

distance. It uses a simple mechanism with the usage of battery-operated D.C. motor, which transmits

its rotary motion to the shaft using the drive shaft. As the seeds are poured into the hopper, while it

has been rotated the seeds automatically fall inside the seed pipe, the seed pipe gets associated with
the furrow opener for the sowing; there is a furrow closer that covers the seeds with the soil. There

are two parts to the prototype system, namely a mobile base that will allow movement by the robot

and a seeding mechanism attached to the mobile base to be used in applying crop seeding. For the

mobile base, four-wheel design is included, so it could easily move along rough terrains. In using a

seeding mechanism, the crank-slider concept applies, meaning it continuously injects seedlings into

the ground.