Project Summary
The Apple Harvester project focused on developing an autonomous robotic system capable of locating, harvesting, and collecting apples directly from orchard trees. The system combined a robotic arm, custom end effector, and machine vision system to identify fruit, position the manipulator, and remove apples from the tree while minimizing bruising and damage.
Once a fruit was detected, the vision system provided location data that allowed the robotic arm to move into position using inverse kinematics. The end effector was designed to gently grasp and twist the apple from its stem before transferring it through the collection system. The goal of the project was to improve harvesting efficiency while helping growers address labor shortages through agricultural automation.