In this project, a MEMS sensor is used to detect hand gestures and control the forward, backward, left, and right movements of the robot. A flex sensor is used to control the fingers of the robotic arm, while push buttons are provided to move the robotic arm in upward and downward directions for weed-removal operations. The robotic vehicle uses two DC motors controlled through an L293D motor driver.

For seed sowing, a simple rotating pipe mechanism is developed using a separate DC motor. The pipe contains a hole through which seeds are released when it reaches the downward position. A fixed funnel supplies seeds into the rotating pipe through a suitable holder arrangement, enabling controlled seed dropping during operation.

Furthermore, a soil moisture sensor is interfaced with the PIC microcontroller to monitor soil moisture conditions. Based on the selected operating mode and soil moisture level, the controller switches ON or OFF the water pump through a relay to perform automatic water spraying. The PIC microcontroller acts as the main controlling unit and coordinates all the operations of the robot.

Thus, the proposed Multi-Purpose Agri-Bot provides an economical and user-friendly agricultural solution that combines gesture-based wireless control, robotic arm operation, seed sowing, weed removal, and automatic water spraying, with the objective of supporting small farmers and encouraging further developments in smart agriculture.

Objectives:

1. To design and develop a multipurpose agricultural robot for small-scale farmers.
2. To control the robot wirelessly using hand gestures through MEMS sensors and Zigbee communication.
3. To achieve forward, backward, left, and right movements using DC motors and an L293D motor driver.
4. To develop a simple seed-sowing mechanism for controlled seed distribution.
5. To design a robotic arm for weed removal using flex sensors and push buttons.
6. To implement automatic water spraying based on soil moisture sensor readings.
7. To control the water pump through a relay based on soil moisture conditions.
8. To use a PIC microcontroller as the main controller for coordinating all agricultural operations.
9. To reduce manual labour, save time, and improve agricultural productivity.

The major building blocks of this project are:

• PIC Microcontroller.
• Dc Motors Along with Driver.
• ZIGBEE TX, RX.
• Soil moisture Sensor.
• TWO Buttons.
• MEMS sensor.
• Flex Sensors.
• Relays.
• Crystal Oscillator.
• Reset Button.
• Rechargeable Battery.
• Seed Drilling Pipe.
• Water Sprayer.
• Robotic ARM for weed remove.

Software’s used:

• PIC-C compiler for Embedded C programming.
• PIC kit 2 programmer for dumping code into Micro controller.
• Express SCH for Circuit design.

Block Diagram:

video: