KEEN | Spring 2019

Pivot Irrigation Misalignment (PIMA) System Project

Pivot irrigation systems are typically a quarter mile long and rotate about a field to irrigate crops. Approximately every fifty meters, there are towers that help move the system. When a tower misaligns, either due to a flat tire or mechanical malfunction, the system’s safety procedure is enabled and shuts the entire system down. When this happens, farmers must walk the length of the system to find where the problem has occurred. However, finding the fault is a very inefficient and time-consuming process. This project develops a solution to detect the location of the misalignment on the pivot irrigation system.