title: Transferable semi-autonomous architecture for vehicles operating in corridor crop environments

authors: Tobias, Jonathan Isaac

subjects: Semi-autonomous

abstract: The role of autonomous vehicles (AVs) in assisting people is recognised and, therefore, is in constant development in numerous fields. Specifically, AV’s ability to alleviate global stressors, including an increased potential for food shortages and the decline in workers for potentially laborious work. An area where AVs developments are particularly prevalent is in agriculture. However, the few AVs being used in agriculture are often custom built for specific purposes and require large development time as a result. This thesis aims to build and evaluate a versatile architecture that can be transferred to any agricultural vehicle, thus decreasing the development time.

This thesis presents a novel architecture known as a semi-autonomous architecture (SAA). The research involved investigating and incorporating specific sensors, and also developing a common software module to perform the localisation, navigation and mapping particularly suited for corridor crop agricultural environment. This architecture was integrated and implemented on a Yamaha golf cart, infusing it with purposely positioned sensors and supportive electronics to allow a Robotic Operating System (ROS) framework to gather information and control the vehicle. As the architecture is modular in nature, it can be transferred to different customised platforms.

To determine the efficacy of the SAA, the platform went through a field trial and simulations to test the fundamentals of an agricultural AV. This meant investigating the SAA’s ability to map, plan paths, avoid obstacles and maintain a specific distance from a row. The evaluation demonstrated that both ’RTAB-Map’ and ’Gmapping’ could produce accurate maps of a vineyard. Additionally, grid-based planners, such as Dijkstra and A*, performed better than a sample-based planner bias-IRRT*. Regarding obstacle avoidance, the SAA required a greater range of sensors to detect small and oddly shaped objects that could be found in a vineyard. The SAA maintained within 5mm of the specified distance when aiming to follow the row. The results from these experiments demonstrated the SAA’s ability to successfully transform a Yamaha golf cart into a semi-autonomous agricultural vehicle.

text: Transferable semi-autonomous architecture for vehicles operating in corridor crop environments The role of autonomous vehicles (AVs) in assisting people is recognised and, therefore, is in constant development in numerous fields. Specifically, AV’s ability to alleviate global stressors, including an increased potential for food shortages and the decline in workers for potentially laborious work. An area where AVs developments are particularly prevalent is in agriculture. However, the few AVs being used in agriculture are often custom built for specific purposes and require large development time as a result. This thesis aims to build and evaluate a versatile architecture that can be transferred to any agricultural vehicle, thus decreasing the development time.

This thesis presents a novel architecture known as a semi-autonomous architecture (SAA). The research involved investigating and incorporating specific sensors, and also developing a common software module to perform the localisation, navigation and mapping particularly suited for corridor crop agricultural environment. This architecture was integrated and implemented on a Yamaha golf cart, infusing it with purposely positioned sensors and supportive electronics to allow a Robotic Operating System (ROS) framework to gather information and control the vehicle. As the architecture is modular in nature, it can be transferred to different customised platforms.

To determine the efficacy of the SAA, the platform went through a field trial and simulations to test the fundamentals of an agricultural AV. This meant investigating the SAA’s ability to map, plan paths, avoid obstacles and maintain a specific distance from a row. The evaluation demonstrated that both ’RTAB-Map’ and ’Gmapping’ could produce accurate maps of a vineyard. Additionally, grid-based planners, such as Dijkstra and A*, performed better than a sample-based planner bias-IRRT*. Regarding obstacle avoidance, the SAA required a greater range of sensors to detect small and oddly shaped objects that could be found in a vineyard. The SAA maintained within 5mm of the specified distance when aiming to follow the row. The results from these experiments demonstrated the SAA’s ability to successfully transform a Yamaha golf cart into a semi-autonomous agricultural vehicle.

year: 2022

title: Using picturebooks in a second year cultural perspectives course to draw on an highlight the knowledge of cultural insiders

authors: Barbour, Julie Renee

subjects: culturally responsive pedagogies

abstract: Using picturebooks in tertiary settings to: 
(1) provide a glimpse into familiar and unfamiliar cultures;
(2) create experts of students who are cultural insiders;
(3) provide a finite experience of a complex situation, suitable for classroom discussion and analysis.

text: Using picturebooks in a second year cultural perspectives course to draw on an highlight the knowledge of cultural insiders Using picturebooks in tertiary settings to: 
(1) provide a glimpse into familiar and unfamiliar cultures;
(2) create experts of students who are cultural insiders;
(3) provide a finite experience of a complex situation, suitable for classroom discussion and analysis.

year: 2022

title: Te Kauwhanganui o Tāwhiao

authors: Teinakore, Tiare Kata

abstract: Wiremu Tarapīpipi Te Waharoa Tamihana: Kaiwhakawahi Kīngi

I te tau 1892 i kite a Tāwhiao i te hinga mai o te iwi Māori i te rau o te patu a te Pākehā, ka whakatūngia mai ko tōna whare pāremata a Te Kauwhanganui hei pīkau i ēnei taumahatanga. He whare pāremata tēnei i whakatūngia mai i te rohe tonu o Ngāti Hauā, he whare pāremata mō ngā iwi Māori puta noa i Aotearoa, he whare whakatau nawe, he whare whakature kaupapa, he punanga tēnei mō te iwi Māori. Ko Te Kauwhanganui te tāhuhu o tēnei tuhinga whakapae, engari, ko te aronga nui, ko te takenga mai o Te Kauwhanganui i tēwhea ao, te ao Māori, te ao Pākehā rānei? I konei mahuta mai ai ko te kaupapa matua o tēnei tuhinga.
“I pūtake mai Te Kauwhanganui o Tāwhiao i te ao Māori tūturu, i ngā whakaaweawe rānei o te mana whakahaere o te Pākehā?”
Ko tēnei kaupapa ka rukuhia atu mā te huri kōaro ki te rangahau i te mana whakahaere o te ao Māori tūturu. Ka rangahautia ko te mana whakahaere o te iwi Māori i mua i te taenga mai o te Pākehā, kia mahea ai te kite he aha rā ngā tikanga o te ao Māori tūturu. Ka hūpeke atu ki te taenga mai o te Pākehā ki Aotearoa, ka whakaatu i ngā whakaaweawe mana whakahaere o te Pākehā i tōia mai e te Pākehā, ko Te Tiriti o Waitangi, ko Te Kawenata motuhake o Aotearoa ēnei. Ka whakaatu hoki i te pānga o ēnei whakaaweawe ki ngā kōkiritanga, ki ngā whakahoki a te Māori ki Te Tiriti o Waitangi me Te Kawenata motuhake o Aotearoa. Kātahi ka whakamāramahia ngā tikanga o Te Kauwhanganui me te tautoko o ngā pou kōrero i ēnei whakamārama. Ka whakamutua ake me te tātari i ngā hua o ēnei kimihanga, kia taea te kite ko tēwhea te ao ka pūtake mai Te Kauwhanganui, mai i te ao Māori tūturu, mai i ngā whakaaweawe rānei o te mana whakahaere o te Pākehā.

text: Te Kauwhanganui o Tāwhiao Wiremu Tarapīpipi Te Waharoa Tamihana: Kaiwhakawahi Kīngi

I te tau 1892 i kite a Tāwhiao i te hinga mai o te iwi Māori i te rau o te patu a te Pākehā, ka whakatūngia mai ko tōna whare pāremata a Te Kauwhanganui hei pīkau i ēnei taumahatanga. He whare pāremata tēnei i whakatūngia mai i te rohe tonu o Ngāti Hauā, he whare pāremata mō ngā iwi Māori puta noa i Aotearoa, he whare whakatau nawe, he whare whakature kaupapa, he punanga tēnei mō te iwi Māori. Ko Te Kauwhanganui te tāhuhu o tēnei tuhinga whakapae, engari, ko te aronga nui, ko te takenga mai o Te Kauwhanganui i tēwhea ao, te ao Māori, te ao Pākehā rānei? I konei mahuta mai ai ko te kaupapa matua o tēnei tuhinga.
“I pūtake mai Te Kauwhanganui o Tāwhiao i te ao Māori tūturu, i ngā whakaaweawe rānei o te mana whakahaere o te Pākehā?”
Ko tēnei kaupapa ka rukuhia atu mā te huri kōaro ki te rangahau i te mana whakahaere o te ao Māori tūturu. Ka rangahautia ko te mana whakahaere o te iwi Māori i mua i te taenga mai o te Pākehā, kia mahea ai te kite he aha rā ngā tikanga o te ao Māori tūturu. Ka hūpeke atu ki te taenga mai o te Pākehā ki Aotearoa, ka whakaatu i ngā whakaaweawe mana whakahaere o te Pākehā i tōia mai e te Pākehā, ko Te Tiriti o Waitangi, ko Te Kawenata motuhake o Aotearoa ēnei. Ka whakaatu hoki i te pānga o ēnei whakaaweawe ki ngā kōkiritanga, ki ngā whakahoki a te Māori ki Te Tiriti o Waitangi me Te Kawenata motuhake o Aotearoa. Kātahi ka whakamāramahia ngā tikanga o Te Kauwhanganui me te tautoko o ngā pou kōrero i ēnei whakamārama. Ka whakamutua ake me te tātari i ngā hua o ēnei kimihanga, kia taea te kite ko tēwhea te ao ka pūtake mai Te Kauwhanganui, mai i te ao Māori tūturu, mai i ngā whakaaweawe rānei o te mana whakahaere o te Pākehā.

year: 2013