#Precision Agriculture
Agricultural Machinery Engineering
September 4, 2026
Agricultural Machinery Engineering 101: RTK Guidance — From Satellite Positioning to Autonomous Steering and Variable-Rate Application
RTK-GNSS delivers centimeter-class position, but by itself it steers nothing. This article works through the engineering chain that makes 'RTK guidance' actually reduce labor and sharpen precision in tractors and rice transplanters: AB-line/curve/contour guidance patterns, the control loop that feeds lateral deviation back into steering angle, and the link to yield and application maps.
Fundamentals · 10 min
Agricultural Machinery Engineering
September 4, 2026
Agricultural Machinery Engineering 101: Seeders and Fertilizer Applicators — How to Keep Delivering One Seed, One Fixed Amount, Continuously
A seeder isn't a 'machine that sows seeds' — it's a metering machine that cuts an irregular granular material, the seed, into a fixed interval. This article reads through equations and public materials the principles of mechanical-plate and pneumatic (vacuum/pressure) metering, broadcast/band/variable-rate fertilization, and current product examples.
Fundamentals · 10 min
Agricultural Machinery Engineering
September 3, 2026
Agricultural Machinery Engineering 101: The Combine Harvester — From Cutting to Cleaning and Automation
The head-feeding combine harvester that cuts rice, threshes it, separates the grain, and stores it in a tank. This article reads the combine as mechanical engineering — why it originated in Japan, the internal material flow, the equations used to measure loss, yield/quality sensors, the published specs of current models, and where autonomous operation and electrification stand today.
Fundamentals · 18 min
Agricultural Machinery Engineering
September 3, 2026
Agricultural Machinery Engineering 101: The Tractor — From Traction and PTO to the Three-Point Linkage and Autonomous Driving
A tractor is a portable power source that splits the engine's output among wheels/crawlers, the PTO, and the hydraulic three-point linkage. This article explains, as mechanical engineering, traction and slip, tillage-depth control, RTK-GNSS, soil/yield sensors, and where electrification stands.
Fundamentals · 18 min