Design and control of a robotic manipulator for kiwi harvesting

This thesis presents the design and control of a robotic manipulator intended for kiwi harvesting, addressing the increasing need for automation in agriculture due to labour shortages and the pursuit of precision farming. The research introduces a novel, low-cost robotic solution integrated with a mobile platform to automate the harvesting process in kiwi orchards. The system involves the design of a custom anthropomorphic manipulator, including actuator selection, gripper design, and mobile platform integration, specifically adapted for the kiwi harvesting task. The control architecture incorporates a combination of low-level motion control on an Arduino-based platform and high-level trajectory planning using ROS 2 and MoveIt 2, allowing for efficient navigation and adaptability in an orchard environment. The perception system combines depth and RGB cameras to detect and localize fruits with high precision, enhancing the robot’s ability to autonomously identify, approach, and pick kiwi fruits. The effectiveness of the system is evaluated through simulations and field experiments, demonstrating its capability to harvest kiwis effectively while maintaining fruit quality. Future work aims to address challenges related to system robustness in diverse environmental conditions and further improve the adaptability of the harvesting mechanism.