Highlights Design of an elevated camera/sensor platform built using common construction materials and tools. Economical design. Camera mast for in-field observation and remote data collection. Abstract. Agricultural engineers conducting research or practicing in industry can deploy a large variety of instruments to investigate, monitor, and control agricultural practices. Locating instruments for optimal performance in agricultural fields and facilities can be challenging and expensive. There is a need for an economical platform to monitor agricultural crops across plots and fields. The goal of the current endeavor was to develop an economical, elevated camera-and-sensor platform that could be constructed from common building materials with readily available shop tools. The designed camera mast positioned cameras 4 m above the ground and had two arms, each extending 3.8 m horizontally at the top of the mast, placing cameras over crops. Cameras were mounted at the ends of the mast arms on French cleats for ease of installation and retrieval from the ground using a lifting/extension pole. The load capacity inherent in the design made it possible to add sensors and instruments to the mast arms. The camera mast successfully supported two time-lapse cameras that recorded color images of peanut plant growth during the 2025 growing season. Keywords: Economical construction, Equipment design, Long duration imaging, Mast design and construction, Overhead camera platform, Peanuts, Remote sensing, Time-lapse imaging.
McIntyre et al. (Thu,) studied this question.