An End-Effector for Robotic Removal of Citrus from the tree

ABSTRACT The design of a robotic end-effector for picking citrus fruit is presented and its performance evaluated. The end-effector utilized a rotating-lip mechanism to capture a fruit. Incorporated into the end-effector were a color CCD camera and an ultrasonic transducer for determining the location of a fruit in three dimensions. End-effector performance was assessed by quantifying its capture envelope, fruit removal success rate, and damage inflicted to fruit and tree. Capture envelop was determined with laboratory tests while success and damage rates were quantified through field trials. The end-effector successfully removed fruit in 69% of the pick attempts and caused damage on 37% of the pick attempts. It was concluded that the rotating-lip approach to citrus removal was appropriate but refinement of the end-effector was needed to improve its success rate and to reduce damage rates. KEYWORDS. Robotics, Harvesting, Citrus, End-Effector.