User:Hoga4447

The goal of the project is to create a virtual reality tool to be used in a classroom setting by which students can learn precision agriculture techniques and practices in a safe, cost effective and engaging learning environment.

=Problem Definition= The Palouse farming region is characterized as having rich, fertile soil and rolling hills. The geography of the Palouse presents a unique challenge to optimize effective cultivation and preservation of the region’s landscape. Precision Agriculture utilizes emerging technologies to optimize farming practices in the Palouse for better crop yield and responsible land management.

A tool is needed to teach students the techniques used in precision agriculture which also allows the students to practice their acquired knowledge in a safe, cost effective and engaging learning environment.

Background
Our team is the second team to work on this project. The first team, Precision Agriculture Virtual Reality (PAVR,) decided to develop the project using the Unity gaming engine with virtual reality support. PAVR utilized an Oculus Rift headset and Logitech steering wheel and pedal assembly.

Deliverables
For this project we have tasked to create a virtual reality environment that replicates the Cook Farm. We have been provided with the Cook Farm elevation data for it to be translated into our application.

The simulation is to provide the students with experience driving a tractor with an attached sprayer boom used to apply chemical to the field. The tractor is to be equipped with GPS location controls which have the ability to map where the spray has been applied to field.

For classroom use, the simulation should have an autopilot or demonstration mode so that students can learn the optimal application techniques and pathing before practicing on their own.

A data collecting tool should also be developed to provide students with feedback as to how their experience compared to the optimal application. The optimal application would have the greatest fuel and spray efficiency.

The Virtual Reality Simulation will eventual be utilized by 4-6 classroom laboratory workstations. The hardware and software need to be able to replicated and installed.

Specifications
The current computer is housed in the Engineering Annex building. It has an Intel® i7-6700 CPU @ 3.40 GHz with 32.0 GB of RAM and has a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB Display Driver. The system also has an Oculus Rift Headset with left and right num-chuks and a Logitech Steering Wheel and Floor Pedal Assembly.

=Project Learning= During the first semester our team focused on acquainting ourselves with the current simulation, the Unity Game Engine and the C# program language. The features our team, under the directive of our sponsor, choose to develop were establishing field boundaries, implementing crop yield and visualization and improving the tractor console navigation. We divided up the development areas and we each began to work on improving these features.

In the second semester each team member continued to work on their individual tasks utilizing their own workstation and the GitHub Repository. During research our team discovered a farming simulator application that had many of the features we were trying to implement into our current simulation.

Our team decided to take this information to our sponsor and it was decided that these new technologies warranted further research. Our team discovered that Farming Simulator 19 along with the vorpX Control mod would allow a user to drive a tractor and preform various farming activities in a virtual reality environment utilizing the Oculus Rift headset. Our team was able purchase and Farming Simulator 19 and the vorpX VR 3D Driver and complete installation and calibration of the Logitech Steering Wheel and Floor Pedals and Oculus Rift Headset.

After meeting with our sponsor, it was decided that our team would switch our focus to developing the new Farming Simulator 19 application. Immediately work began to create a map mod that replicated the GPS elevation data of the Cook Farm, create a auto path tool that can be used in developing several modes or scenarios and documentation needed for installation and execution of the current application.

=Final Design= The application utilized is Farming Simulator 19 with the vorpX VR 3d Driver. Our team felt that is simulation would provide more variety in tractor and attachment variations, would allow for a larger range of future features, used newer models and updated technologies and had greater access to mod and other tools used to customize the simulation. We also felt the new application would advance the timeline to present our sponsor with classroom ready system.

A Cook Farm Map has been created in the GIANTS Editor and has been added to this project in order to replicate the Cook Farm into a virtual reality environment.

An Autopathing tool has been added in order to simulate an autopilot or demonstration mode so that students can learn the optimal application techniques and pathing before practicing on their own

=Timeline=

=Team Members= Brad Whitesell Major: Computer Science Hometown: Boise, Idaho Email: whit8285@vandals.uidaho.edu

Joel Atwood Major: Computer Science Hometown: Emmett, Idaho Email: atwo6777@vandals.uidaho.edu

Chelsea Hogan Major: Computer Science Hometown: Worley, Idaho Email: hoga4447@vandals.uidaho.edu

=Link to GitHub Repository= https://github.com/palouse-agriculture-in-virtual-reality/FS-19-Cook-Farm-Mod/tree/develop/Documentation