A compost turner that functions autonomously and in an environmentally friendly manner: Researchers from the Institute of Logistics Engineering and the Institute of Geodesy at TU Graz are currently working on this in the research project ANTON (Autonomous navigation for tracked compost turners). The background: Turning and mixing large compost heaps are important steps in composting to speed up the rotting process. At present, the work is very challenging for the operators who control these machines. The machine runs extremely slowly (50 to 300 m/h), the temperatures are high, the gases released and the odours are unpleasant.
ANTON aims to remedy this situation.
Detials on the innovative navigation system and the control architecture developed by the team of TU Graz can be found on www.tugraz.at.