Safety-aware headland turning in sloping vineyards for field robots

Purpose Headland turning is a crucial maneuver in steep, sloped vineyard cultivation. This work investigates whether performing row-changing maneuvers under high-slope conditions is safe.Methods Three common ground-robot architectures are considered, and their dynamic models are evaluated. Potentially hazardous turning conditions during headland maneuvers are analyzed to identify the critical forward speed that marks the transition to unsafe operation.Results Results show that braking during headland turning on a slope is the most hazardous condition, potentially causing instability. Dynamic stability parameters are proposed accordingly.Conclusion The analysis provides quantitative criteria and safe operating velocities to support motion-planning and control strategies for field deployment.