Reflective Questions:
How do we show that our design ideas were not just guesses and that my/our ideas and each of the proposed design attributes really is based on sound logic and subject related knowledge?
Why does this proposed solution have merit to try?
Rover designs are proven to work in dusty conditions from the mars rovers which survived for numerous years in extreme conditions on the martian surface.
Building a rover to manage large swaths of farmland would reduce the need for humans to travel into the potentially dangerous and uncomfortable conditions required on farms.
Chemistry
Designing sensors for the soil, and interpreting those results
Electrical engineering
Designing the power systems for the rover's motors and batteries, in addition to the power supply for the main control board.
Electrical efficiency and power storage are critical for working properly in the conditions on a farm.
Mechanical engineering
The tracks and case are important design considerations for surviving successfully on a farm.
Designing a rugged suspension and wheel system is important for it to be rugged and survive without intervention.
Materials science
Choosing suitable materials for different mechanical parts of the rover is important because their interactions determine the lifetime of the machine.
The rover needs to be rugged, requiring proper material choices.
Radio science
Communicating back to internet and with other possible rovers will be important and difficult, requiring knowledge of QRP concepts.
For the rover to stay in contact with the main station, constant radio contact is critical. A good radio system is also critical for the rover's electrical efficiency.
Programming
Low level programming (such as rust), as well as higher level programs like python (useful for interacting with AI models for machine vision ETC) will be important for programming the rover
Efficient programming techniques are critical for the electrical efficiency of the rover, and determine the rover's effectiveness without human intervention.
AI/Machine vision
Important for traversing the landscape
Necessary for traversing rugged terrain on farms correctly.
In the design phase, it would be useful to have AI accelerators, and the main control board platform for testing the code. Likewise, in the testing phase it would be useful to have a testing area with similar conditions to a farm, for testing the robot's ability to traverse terrain.