Development of Vegetation Cutting Tool Attachments for the Automated Roadway Debris Vacuum

摘要

The Advanced Highway Maintenance and Construction Technology (AHMCT) Research Center has been developing robotic equipment and machinery for highway maintenance and construction operations. It is a cooperative venture between the University of California at Davis and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). The research and development projects have the goal of increasing safety and efficiency of roadwork operations through the appropriate application of automation solutions. This report describes the design and analysis of vegetation cutting attachments for the Automated Roadway Debris Vacuum (ARDVAC), a tele-robotic litter removal system. This combination of ARDVAC system and cutting attachments is designed to operate in median divider areas, roadway shoulders, around guardrails, and on some embankments adjacent to roadways.