Towards Autonomous Selective Harvesting: A Review of Robot Perception, Robot Design, Motion Planning and Control

This paper provides an overview of the current state-of-the-art in selective harvesting robots (SHRs) and their potential for addressing the challenges of global food production. SHRs have the potential to increase productivity, reduce labour costs, and minimise food waste by selectively harvesting only ripe fruits and vegetables. The paper discusses the main components of SHRs, including perception, grasping, cutting, motion planning, and control. It also highlights the challenges in developing SHR technologies, particularly in the areas of robot design, motion planning and control. The paper also discusses the potential benefits of integrating AI and soft robots and data-driven methods to enhance the performance and robustness of SHR systems. Finally, the paper identifies several open research questions in the field and highlights the need for further research and development efforts to advance SHR technologies to meet the challenges of global food production. Overall, this paper provides a starting point for researchers and practitioners interested in developing SHRs and highlights the need for more research in this field.Comment: Preprint: to be appeared in Journal of Field Robotic

Actuators and sensors for application in agricultural robots: A review

In recent years, with the rapid development of science and technology, agricultural robots have gradually begun to replace humans, to complete various agricultural operations, changing traditional agricultural production methods. Not only is the labor input reduced, but also the production efficiency can be improved, which invariably contributes to the development of smart agriculture. This paper reviews the core technologies used for agricultural robots in non-structural environments. In addition, we review the technological progress of drive systems, control strategies, end-effectors, robotic arms, environmental perception, and other related systems. This research shows that in a non-structured agricultural environment, using cameras and light detection and ranging (LiDAR), as well as ultrasonic and satellite navigation equipment, and by integrating sensing, transmission, control, and operation, different types of actuators can be innovatively designed and developed to drive the advance of agricultural robots, to meet the delicate and complex requirements of agricultural products as operational objects, such that better productivity and standardization of agriculture can be achieved. In summary, agricultural production is developing toward a data-driven, standardized, and unmanned approach, with smart agriculture supported by actuator-driven-based agricultural robots. This paper concludes with a summary of the main existing technologies and challenges in the development of actuators for applications in agricultural robots, and the outlook regarding the primary development directions of agricultural robots in the near future

Review on human‐like robot manipulation using dexterous hands

In recent years, human hand‐based robotic hands or dexterous hands have gained attention due to their enormous capabilities of handling soft materials compared to traditional grippers. Back in the earlier days, the development of a hand model close to that of a human was an impossible task but with the advancements made in technology, dexterous hands with three, four or five‐fingered robotic hands have been developed to mimic human hand nature. However, human‐like manipulation of dexterous hands to this date remains a challenge. Thus, this review focuses on (a) the history and motivation behind the development of dexterous hands, (b) a brief overview of the available multi‐fingered hands, and (c) learning‐based methods such as traditional and data‐driven learning methods for manipulating dexterous hands. Additionally, it discusses the challenges faced in terms of the manipulation of multi‐fingered or dexterous hands

Design, analysis and fabrication of an articulated mobile manipulator

The process involved in designing, fabricating and analysing a mobile robotic manipulator to carry out pick and place task in a dynamic and unknown environment has been explained here. The manipulator designed and fabricated has a 5 – axis articulated arm for pick and place application but also can be reconfigured to do other tasks. The manipulator is built with its driving or power means fitted at the bottom to distribute the load effectively and also make handling easier. The mobile platform employs a novel suspension system which helps in relatively distributing the load equally to all wheels regardless of the wheels position giving the mobile platform better control and stability. With reference to many available manipulators and mobile platforms in the market, a practical design is perceived using designing tools and a fully functional prototype is fabricated. The kinematic model determining the end effector’s position and orientation is analysed systematically and presented. Navigational controls are built using fuzzy logic and genetic algorithm with the help of the sensors’ information so that the robot can negotiate obstacle while carrying out various tasks in an unknown environment. The path tracking for pick-and-place application is the overall target of this industrial manipulator

Agricultural Structures and Mechanization

In our globalized world, the need to produce quality and safe food has increased exponentially in recent decades to meet the growing demands of the world population. This expectation is being met by acting at multiple levels, but mainly through the introduction of new technologies in the agricultural and agri-food sectors. In this context, agricultural, livestock, agro-industrial buildings, and agrarian infrastructure are being built on the basis of a sophisticated design that integrates environmental, landscape, and occupational safety, new construction materials, new facilities, and mechanization with state-of-the-art automatic systems, using calculation models and computer programs. It is necessary to promote research and dissemination of results in the field of mechanization and agricultural structures, specifically with regard to farm building and rural landscape, land and water use and environment, power and machinery, information systems and precision farming, processing and post-harvest technology and logistics, energy and non-food production technology, systems engineering and management, and fruit and vegetable cultivation systems. This Special Issue focuses on the role that mechanization and agricultural structures play in the production of high-quality food and continuously over time. For this reason, it publishes highly interdisciplinary quality studies from disparate research fields including agriculture, engineering design, calculation and modeling, landscaping, environmentalism, and even ergonomics and occupational risk prevention

Locating Anchor Drilling Holes Based on Binocular Vision in Coal Mine Roadways

The implementation of roof bolt support within a coal mine roadway has the capacity to bolster the stability of the encompassing rock strata and thereby mitigate the potential for accidents. To enhance the automation of support operations, this paper introduces a binocular vision positioning method for drilling holes, which relies on the adaptive adjustment of parameters. Through the establishment of a predictive model, the correlation between the radius of the target circular hole in the image and the shooting distance is ascertained. Based on the structural model of the anchor drilling robot and the related sensing data, the shooting distance range is defined. Exploiting the geometric constraints inherent to adjacent anchor holes, the precise identification of anchor holes is detected by a Hough transformer with an adaptive parameter-adjusted method. On this basis, the matching of the anchor hole contour is realized by using linear slope and geometric constraints, and the spatial coordinates of the anchor hole center in the camera coordinate system are determined based on the binocular vision positioning principle. The outcomes of the experiments reveal that the method attains a po-sitioning accuracy of 95.2%, with an absolute error of around 1.52 mm. When compared with manual operation, this technique distinctly enhances drilling accuracy and augments support efficiency

Recent Innovations in Post-harvest Preservation and Protection of Agricultural Products

The global food supply chain relies on engineered systems, operational practices, and logistics to preserve, protect, process, and deliver agricultural crops along complex supply lines from farmers in low-, middle-, and high-income countries to markets around the world. Food and nutrition security is compromised by post-harvest losses (and food waste) that have been estimated to be as high as 20% in durable and 40% in perishable crops. Preserving crops using technologies and practices such as timely harvesting, evaporative cooling, cold and frozen storage, drying, and dehydrating, and protecting crops using technologies and practices such as damage-less handling, controlled and modified atmosphere storage, non-chemical heat and gas treatment, plant-derived protective films for individual fruits and vegetables, and improved packaging containers are critical to preserving nutrients, improving livelihoods, and realizing an efficient food system. This Special Issue aims to cover recent progress and innovations in science, technology, engineering, operational practices, and logistics related to post-harvest preservation and protection of durable and perishable agricultural crops. It seeks contributions that improve effectiveness, efficiency, reliability and sustainability in post-harvest handling of crops from field to end use that preserve product quality and result in foods and feeds which are nutritious and safe for human and animal consumption

Bioécologie et diversité génétique d'Orthops palus (Heteroptera, Miridae), ravageur du manguier à La Réunion

Mango crops in Reunion Island are threatened by a series of pests, including the bug Orthops palus (Heteroptera, Miridae). This species has only been reported in Uganda and Reunion Island but is considered pest of mango only in Reunion Island. Few studies have therefore been devoted to this bug, which explains the lack of knowledge concerning this pest. The overall aim of my thesis was to acquire knowledge about O. palus, and several specific objectives were pursued. The first was to characterize mirid diversity in the mango orchards of Reunion Island. The second was to characterize the life cycle of O. palus and insect-plant interactions. The third objective was to study the distribution and genetic diversity of the species in Reunion Island and on other islands in the south-west Indian Ocean (SWIO).The main results of these studies are: among the 13 species identified in the community of mirids in mango orchards, O. palus was the most abundant on the mango inflorescences when in flower. Three original tools were built to identify O. palus in the laboratory and to recognize the species in the field: an identification key, COI sequences, and a field recognition card). A method was developed to rear O. palus, which enabled the characterization of its life cycle and the length of the development stages. Meanwhile, the inventory of in situ host plants (15 species in Reunion Island) showed that O. palus is polyphagous. Studies of the diversity and genetic structure of O. palus in SWIO islands also provided significant results. In Reunion Island, the population is structured in two clusters, although the structural factors could not be fully identified. In Mauritius, one cluster was identified and was shown to be different from the clusters in Reunion Island. No host race was found either in Reunion Island or in Mauritius. Population movements in both directions between the two islands were highlighted. Finally, the analysis of the mitochondrial DNA diversity of individuals sampled on four SWIO islands (Reunion, Mauritius, Mayotte, Grande Comore) revealed the presence of at least seven haplotypes whose distribution confirmed exchanges between islands.The dynamics of O. palus in space and over time are discussed in connection with its survival strategy over the course of the year and with population flows across SWIO. The results showed that beyond being a bug that attacks only the mango tree, as the name strongly suggests, O. palus is rather a "flower bug" likely to maintain populations throughout the year by moving from one flowering plant to another according to food availability. Among the plants involved in the annual dynamics of the insect, several species beside mango are of economic interest (lychee, jujube, avocado). Several research topics are proposed to complete the knowledge already acquired on O. palus, including understanding of population dispersion processes at the scale of the agro-ecosystem, and evaluating the presence and the genetic diversity of O. palus in other SWOI territories. Finally, agroecological practices for the local management of O. palus populations are proposed based on the results of the studies that comprise the present dissertation. Recommendations are made for precautionary measures to prevent the flow of O. palus populations between countries located in the Indian Ocean.La culture du manguier à La Réunion est confrontée à un cortège de bioagresseurs, dont la punaise Orthops palus (Heteroptera, Miridae). Cette espèce est uniquement signalée en Ouganda et à La Réunion mais n'est considérée comme ravageur du manguier qu'à La Réunion. Peu d'études ont donc été consacrées à cet insecte, ce qui est à l'origine du manque de connaissance sur ce ravageur. L'objectif général de cette thèse est l'acquisition de connaissances sur O. palus. Il se décline en plusieurs objectifs spécifiques. Il s'agit, dans un premier temps, de caractériser la diversité de mirides présentes dans les vergers de manguiers de La Réunion. Dans un deuxième temps, l'objectif est de caractériser le cycle biologique d'O. palus et les interactions insecte-plantes. Enfin, dans un troisième temps, le dernier objectif consiste à étudier la distribution et la diversité génétique de l'espèce à La Réunion et dans la zone sud-ouest de l'océan Indien (SOOI). Les principaux résultats de la thèse sont les suivants. La miridofaune des vergers de manguiers a été étudiée et, parmi les 13 espèces de mirides recensées, O. palus est l'espèce la plus abondante sur les inflorescences du manguier lors de sa floraison. Pour identifier O. palus au laboratoire et la reconnaître sur le terrain, trois outils originaux ont été construits (une clé d'identification, des séquences du Cytochrome c Oxydase I et une fiche de reconnaissance sur le terrain). Un élevage d'O. palus a été mis au point ; il a permis de caractériser son cycle biologique et de mesurer les durées de développement des différents stades. Parallèlement, l'inventaire in situ des plantes hôtes d'O. palus (15 espèces à La Réunion) a montré le caractère polyphage de espèce. Les études sur la diversité et la structuration génétique d'O. palus dans les îles du SOOI ont apporté des résultats importants. À La Réunion, la population d'O. palus est structurée en deux clusters, mais les facteurs structurant n'ont pu être totalement identifiés. À Maurice, une seule population est recensée et demeure différente de celles de La Réunion. Aucune race d'hôte n'a été mise en évidence, ni à La Réunion, ni à Maurice. Des flux de populations, dans les deux sens, ont été mis en évidence entre ces deux îles. Enfin, l'analyse de la diversité de l'ADN mitochondrial sur des individus prélevés sur quatre îles du SOOI (La Réunion, Maurice, Mayotte, Grande Comore) montre la présence d'au moins sept haplotypes dont la distribution confirme les échanges inter-îles. La dynamique spatiale et temporelle de l'insecte en relation avec sa stratégie de passage de l'année ainsi que les flux de populations à l'échelle du SOOI font l'objet de discussions transversales. Les résultats montrent qu'au-delà d'être une punaise s'attaquant uniquement au manguier, comme son nom le suggérait jusqu'à présent, O. palus est surtout une "Punaise des fleurs", susceptible de se maintenir toute l'année en se déplaçant, selon la disponibilité des ressources alimentaires, de plante en fleur à plante en fleur. Parmi les plantes participant à sa dynamique annuelle, plusieurs sont des plantes d'intérêt économique (letchi, jujubier, avocatier). Diverses perspectives de recherche sont proposées pour compléter les connaissances déjà acquises sur O. palus, notamment la compréhension des processus de dispersion des populations à l'échelle de l'agroécosystème, la vérification de la présence d'O. palus dans d'autres territoires du SOOI et l'étude de sa diversité génétique dans cette même région. Enfin, à la lumière des résultats acquis dans la thèse, des propositions de gestion agroécologique des populations d'O. palus à l'échelle locale, ainsi que des recommandations sur les mesures de précaution à prendre pour éviter les flux de populations entre les pays de l'océan Indien sont faites