Abstract Title
Automated Orchard Harvesting Robot (OrBot)
Additional Funding Sources
This research is supported by the Specialty Crop Block Grant of the Idaho State Department of Agriculture.
Abstract
Every year it is becoming more difficult for farmers to find the labor to harvest orchard fruits. They can solve this labor crisis by hiring migrant workers, but over time migrant help becomes more and more expensive. This is where Orchard Robot, OrBot, comes in. OrBot will be able to pick up the slack by harvesting orchard fruits, like apples and oranges, during the harvest season. The goal of OrBot is not to replace human labor in the harvesting process but assist during tough labor shortages. OrBot is comprised of several systems, the eyes, arm, body, and brain. The eyes of the system, color and depth cameras, send signals to the brain. The brain, or kortex, then tells the arm were to move to harvest the fruit. The body connects all these systems. In our lab tests, OrBot has managed to see the fruit and harvest them as well.
Automated Orchard Harvesting Robot (OrBot)
Every year it is becoming more difficult for farmers to find the labor to harvest orchard fruits. They can solve this labor crisis by hiring migrant workers, but over time migrant help becomes more and more expensive. This is where Orchard Robot, OrBot, comes in. OrBot will be able to pick up the slack by harvesting orchard fruits, like apples and oranges, during the harvest season. The goal of OrBot is not to replace human labor in the harvesting process but assist during tough labor shortages. OrBot is comprised of several systems, the eyes, arm, body, and brain. The eyes of the system, color and depth cameras, send signals to the brain. The brain, or kortex, then tells the arm were to move to harvest the fruit. The body connects all these systems. In our lab tests, OrBot has managed to see the fruit and harvest them as well.