Pioneering autonomous machine drives electric motorization in Portugal’s forestry sector

Over the last few years, the Association for the Development of Industrial Aerodynamics (ADAI), linked to the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Coimbra, has carried out research and development work in the areas of fire behavior and the development of technologies that help in forest management and in preventing and fighting forest fires.

This is the case with the work carried out as part of the project aimed at boosting electric motorization in the forestry sector in Portugal, as part of the transForm Agenda, in which they intend to present an electric machine, a world pioneer, given that it is a fully electric vehicle that can carry out various jobs in the forest, namely vegetation management and the reduction of combustible material. This machine will help reduce the carbon footprint associated with forestry operations. 

In addition to all these advantages of the model being developed by ADAI, there is also the automation component, with a set of sensors that allow it to operate autonomously. In this way, through autonomous systems, the project aims to solve issues related to the lack of manpower, the cost of operations and the risk inherent to operators.