An Automated On-The-Go Unloading System Reduces Harvest Operator Stress Relative to Manual Operation

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Highlights Stress was measured in harvest operators who performed on-the-go unloading manually and with an automated system. Automated unloading reduced the average grain cart and combine operator stress rate by 18% and 12%, respectively, compared to manual operation. Harvest operators usually worked more than 9 hours and often worked more than 12 hours per workday during harvest. The use of automated unloading systems could positively affect the health of harvest operators. Abstract. On-the-go unloading improves harvest operational efficiency, but it requires skilled labor because it is challenging and stressful to balance numerous concurrent tasks. Harvest automation reduces workload, stress, and fatigue. The objective of this study was to determine if using a commercially available, automated on-the-go unloading system (Raven Cart AutomationTM, RCA, Raven Industries) would reduce operator stress compared to manual operation. Nine grain cart tractor operators and six combine operators participated in this study. Operators performed their typical harvest operation, except to alternate on-the-go unloading using RCA or operating manually. Skin conductance (electrodermal activity) was measured with an Empatica E4 wristband, and stressful events were quantified. Machine data was collected from the tractor and combine via CAN logs. Over 200 total unload events were analyzed. Grain cart and combine operators using RCA had an 18% (p = 0.022) and 12% (p = 0.18) reduction in stress rate, respectively, compared to operating the grain cart tractor manually. RCA reduced the tractor cross-track error standard deviation by 2.5 cm on straight passes (p < 0.0001). The use of an automated on-the-go unloading system reduces operator stress during harvest and could positively affect the health of operators, especially during the long harvest workdays. Keywords: Agricultural workers, Combine operators, Custom harvesters, Electrodermal activity, Grain cart operators, Guidance systems, Harvest, Skin conductance, Stress, Vehicle automation.