Development of a Robotic Harvesting System for Tomato Clusters with Low-Node-Order Pinching and High-Density Planting (Part 1)

——Robot for Harvesting Tomato Clusters——

Abstract

The objective of this research was to develop a robotic harvesting system for tomato clusters with low-node-order pinching and high-density planting. First, we installed a square pipe to fix the position of the peduncles on both sides of the cultivation bed. Then, we developed a harvesting robot prototype that can travel along a magnetic tape on the greenhouse floor. The robot’s harvesting unit was composed of a manipulator with three degrees of freedom and an end-effector. The scissors of the end-effector can simultaneously grasp and cut the peduncle. In our experiment, the harvesting success rate was 76.9 %.