Team 25
Define Phase
Semi-Autonomous Palm Harvester
Sponsor
Dr. Okoli
Advisors
Dr. Olawale
Dr. Clark
Ricardo Aleman
Gianni Alessandria
Brian Newman
Yuze Liu
Louis-Olivier Verret
David Boswell
Student
Team
Bolivar Lobo
Date
Tuesday, September 22nd 2013
Time
5:20pm
Team Organization
IE Sponsor
IE Advisor
ME Advisor
Team
Leader
Lead ME
Lead IE
Lead ECE
Six Sigma
Lead
Mechatronics
Lead
Treasurer
Role
Name
IE Sponsor
Dr. Okoli
IE Advisor
Dr. Olawale
ME Advisor
Dr. Clark
Team Leader
Ricardo Aleman
Treasurer
Louis-Olivier Verret
Lead ME
Brian Newman
Lead IE
Gianni Alessandria
Lead ECE &
Webmaster
David Boswell
Six Sigma Lead
Bolivar Lobo
Mechatronics Lead
Yuze (Liam) Liu
2
Ricardo
Sponsor
DR. OKENWA OKOLI
› Ph.D., University of Warwick,
1996
› Current chair of the
Department of Industrial &
Manufacturing Engineering
› Research Interests include
– Composite manufacturing
– Metallurgic properties of casting
3
Ricardo
Advisors
DR. JONATHAN
CLARK
› Ph.D. Mechanical
Engineering, Stanford
University, 2004
DR. DAVID OLAWALE
› Assistant Professor
› Ph.D. Industrial &
Manufacturing
Engineering, Florida
State University, 2011
› Research interests
› Research interests
– Robotics - legged
locomotion
– Dynamic system
analysis
– Mechanical design
and fabrication
– Structural Health
Monitoring
– Multifunctional
Composites
4
Ricardo
What is an Oil Palm?
› Elaeis guineensis
› Typically grown within 20°
of equator
› Trees can grow up to
20m tall
› Plantation trees usually
cut around 12m
› Oil extracted from fruit
pulp and kernel
› High oil yield crop
› Common cooking
ingredient in SE Asia and
tropical belt of Africa
› Potential use in biofuels
5
Ricardo
Project Definition
› Background Research
› Project Scope
› Assumptions
› Project Deliverables
6
David
Background Research
Oil Palm Tree Specifications
Height at 25 years 12 m
Diameter 45 cm
Plantation Arrangement 150 Trees Per Hectare
Planting distance 9 m triangular pattern
Fruit Bunch Weight 20 kg
Number of fruits 200 fruits
60 – 65% fruit
Useful Economic Life 3 – 25 years
7
David
8
David
Background Research
Climate Requirements
Acceptable Altitudes 300 – 700 m
Temperature 15oC+
Humidity 75%+
Sunlight 5 hours/day or more
Rainfall Year-round
9
David
Background Research
› Safety issues
– Current climbing methods are risky and
dangerous
– Goal is to replace the climbing methods
with a safer alternative
10
David
Background Research
QUOTE
AFFORDABILITY
“Oil palm planters,
including smallholders, will
bleed red ink if palm oil
prices were to dip below
RM2,000 per ton, said
Malayan Agricultural
Producers Association
(Mapa). Many of our
planters borrow money
from banks and issue
bonds. If palm oil prices
were to fall further, some
planters may face
difficulties in repaying the
banks.” (Btimes)
› Expensive business
› Keep labor costs
down
› Potential clients
won’t buy
complicated
product
› Won’t buy
expensive product
11
David
Background Research
› Environmental impact
– PRO: Palm Oil can be used for biofuel
– CON: Plantations displace rainforests
Rainforest
Oil Palm Plantation
12
David
Background Research
› Customers
– Plantation owners
– Plantation workers
– Service companies
13
David
Project Scope
› Goal
– Construct semi-autonomous oil palm
harvesting machine
› Budget
– $2,000
› Considerations
– Safety
– Affordability
– Efficiency
– Reliability
14
David
Assumptions
› Tree specifications are as previously
defined
› Climate
– Assuming tropical climate with a lot of
rainfall
› Harvesting plantations
– Trees spaced in triangular pattern 9m
apart
› Potential customers
– Clients will not buy an expensive product
15
David
Team Deliverables
Deliverable
Due Date
Define Phase Gate Review Presentation
October 22
Define Phase Gate Review Report
October 24
Peer Evaluations
October 29
Professional Engineering Licensing
Agreement
Peer Evaluations
October 31
Final Web Page Design
November 26
Measure Phase Gate Review
Presentation
Measure Phase Gate Review Report
December 3
Engineering Ethics Assignment
December 5
Peer Evaluations
December 6
November 26
December 5
16
David
Project Charter
› Business Case
› Opportunity Statement
› Needs Statement
17
Louis
Business Case
› Need for an efficient harvesting
method
– Total global production of palm oil 45
million tons
– Palm oil consumption ranges from cooking
oil, margarine, soap, and detergent
– Denmark, Switzerland and some U.S
counties banned use of trans-fats
› This presents an opportunity for vegetable oils
such as palm oil
18
Louis
Business Case
› Potential output for oil palm production
(In thousands of hectares)
19
Louis
Business Case
› Actual output is world share of palm oil
› Nigeria’s plantations can be utilized better
Country/Region
Palm Oil Output
World Share
Malaysia
(million metric tons)
14,962,000
44%
Indonesia
Nigeria
Thailand
Colombia
14,000,000
800,000
685,000
661,000
42%
2%
2%
2%
Papua New Guinea
Cote D’Ivoire
310,000
260,000
1%
1%
Brazil
160,000
0%
20
Louis
Opportunity Statement
› Product opportunity
– Consumption of vegetable oil went from
40 million tons to 130 million tons
– Also, Belgian companies are investing in
West and Central African countries’
plantations
– Demand is going up for Palm Oil
21
Louis
Opportunity Statement
› Oil Palms have highest return per area
of all oil crops
› Profits from plantations are
– $960/ha for low-yield independent
growers
– $2,100/ha for supported growers
– $2,340/ha for high yield independent
growers
– $3,340/ha for large scale growers
22
Louis
Review of Needs
› There exists a need for a safe, reliable
method of harvesting
› This method should reduce cost of
labor by requiring less work
› It should improve productivity
23
Louis
Analysis of Customer
Requirements
› Critical Customer Requirements (CCR)
–
–
–
–
–
Economic Analysis
Environmental Impact
Ethical Considerations
Health and Safety
Sustainability
24
Gianni
Voice of the Customer (VOC)
Climb Tree Trunk
FUNCTIONAL
Identify ripe fruit
Harvest fruit
VOC
Lightweight
PORTABLE
Moves around
plantation
Easy to move on or
off plantation
Minimize
ergonomic risk
SAFE
Low injury rate
Semi-Autonomous
25
Gianni
Voice of the Customer (VOC)
Low setup time
FAST
High climbing speed
ENVIRONMENTALLY
FRIENDLY
No damage to the
plantation nor trees
VOC
Good quality materials
DURABLE
Low maintenance
Simple design
EASY TO USE
Low training
requirement
ON BUDGET
Stay within $2000
26
Gianni
Design Concepts
› Previous Concept: Improve Previous
Prototype
› Concept 1: Treaded Robot
› Concept 2: Cart with Extendable Pole
› Concept 3:Modified Linkage
› Decision Matrix
27
Brian
Previous Concept
Improve Existing Prototype
› Pros:
– Already
constructed
› Cons:
– Heavy: ~150 lbs
– Slow:~10 minutes
to climb tree
– Incomplete
electronics
– Parts may be
salvageable
28
Brian
Concept 1
Treaded Robot
Pros:
– Can climb over rough
surfaces
– Fast and lightweight
– Self-stabilizing
Cons:
– Mechanically and
electrically complex
– Difficult programming
29
Brian
Concept 2
Cart with Extendable Pole
Pros:
– Very simple design
– No complex
programming
– Easy maintenance
Cons:
– Less portable
– More material cost
30
Brian
Concept 3
Linkage climber
Pros:
– Has been proven to
work on smooth trees
– Small in size
– Very fast
Cons:
– Somewhat complex
mechanically
– Likely to get stuck
31
Brian
Decision Matrix
Cart with Extendable Pole wins
32
Brian
Meeting the VOC
FAST OPERATION
Minimize camera weight
SAFE
Follow ergonomic guidelines
for posture and force inputs
Make cart easy to move
Reduce manual input with
greater autonomy
Develop stable platform
Make telescoping autonomous
Avoid damaging tree
VOC
ASSESSMENT
Use corrorsion-resistant
materials
Use sufficient battery
power
Improve material
quality
DURABLE
Select inexpensive
materials
Stay energy
efficient
Simplify the design
AFFORDABLE
Use suitably
strong materials
Manage forces and
mechanics
Maximize team’s
effort
EFFECTIVE
OPERATION
33
Gianni
PORTABILITY
CLIMBING
Telescoping mechanism
Mid-size cart with handle
Manual or automatic crank
to raise telescopic pole
Handle located at
elbow level
If manual: Crank force <
10LB
Treaded tires
Meeting the
CCRs
Pole must reach 12m height
Initial push force < 55LB
Sustained push force < 35 LB
Independent from tree
OPERATION
Arduino microcontroller
Manual controls for the cutter
Operated by semiautonomous
manipulator on a joint
Screen on cart’s base
Camera fixed to cutter
Elastic bands from
pole to Oil Palm
Cart legs to stabilize
on ground
Tools: electric chisel,
sickle, or rotary saw
Mobile power source
LOCATION
CUTTING
STABILITY
34
Ricardo
House of Quality
35
Gianni
Correlations
36
Gianni
Results
37
Gianni
Competitive Analysis
38
Gianni
Conclusion
HUMAN CLIMBING
OUR PRODUCT
› Risky
› Safe
› Inconsistent
› Productive
› Expensive
› More advanced
› Simple
› Rugged
39
Ricardo
Conclusion
› Goal
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Reach the top of the tree
Locate ripe fruit
Harvest fruit
Move device easily
Minimize ergonomic risks
Prevent injuries
Minimize human input with automation
40
Ricardo
Upcoming Plans
41
Ricardo
References
1.
Manufacturing Facilities Design & Material Handling by F.E. Meyers, P. Stephens.
2.
Quality Management 5 ed by Dr. David L. Goetsch, and Stanley B. Davis
3.
Six Sigma – The McGraw-Hill 36-Hour-Course. by G. Brue and R. Howes
4.
Engineering Design, G. Dieter, McGraw-Hill
5.
Project Management and Team Work, K. Smith, McGraw- Hill
6.
http://www.etawau.com/OilPalm/Plantation/Oil_Palm_Plantation.jpg
7.
http://www.enoughof.us/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Indonesian-palm-oil-plantation-PhotoIndonesianPalmOil.com_.gif
8.
http://worldgrowth.org/site/wpcontent/uploads/2012/06/WG_Indonesian_Palm_Oil_Benefits_Report-2_11.pdf
9.
http://climate-connections.org/tag/peasant-farming/
10.
http://archive.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/80918e/80918E10.htm
11.
http://docsdrive.com/pdfs/academicjournals/ajbmb/0000/38799-38799.pdf
12.
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/cropView?id=972
13.
http://www.naandanjain.com/uploads/catalogerfiles/oil-palm2/NDJ_OilPlam_eng_booklet_130311F.pdf
14.
http://eng.fsu.edu/me/senior_design/2012/team26/
42
Questions?
43