Perceptual Soft End-Effectors for Future Unmanned Agriculture

Abstract

As consumers demand ever-higher quality standards for agricultural products, the inspection of such goods has become an integral component of the agricultural production process. Unfortunately, traditional testing methods necessitate the deployment of numerous bulky machines and cannot accurately determine the quality of produce prior to harvest. In recent years, with the advancement of soft robot technology, stretchable electronic technology, and material science, integrating flexible plant wearable sensors on soft end-effectors has been considered an attractive solution to these problems. This paper critically reviews soft end-effectors, selecting the appropriate drive mode according to the challenges and application scenarios in agriculture: electrically driven, fluid power, and smart material actuators. In addition, a presentation of various sensors installed on soft end-effectors specifically designed for agricultural applications is provided. These sensors include strain, temperature, humidity, and chemical sensors. Lastly, an in-depth analysis is conducted on the significance of implementing soft end-effectors in agriculture as well as the potential opportunities and challenges that will arise in the future.

A New Picking Pattern of a Flexible Three-Fingered End-Effector for Apple Harvesting Robot

“…The stability of the transportation process is observed while ensuring successful branch-stem-fruit model breakage [15,16]. With the use of three-finger type soft-finger grippers [17], an in-finger grasp stance has also become feasible. It is, therefore, necessary to plan a better grasp posture and apple-picking action for the three-fingered gripper on the apple surface to ensure stability and minimize force peaks and potential damage during the picking process.…”