A robotic apple picker developed by Michigan State University slowly rolls through a west Michigan orchard systematically picking apples off the trees thanks to a collaborative partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Researchers at MSU aim to advance the robot's functionality compared to previous robotic pickers using artificial intelligence, or AI, to harvest the ripest apples and leverage engineering technology to protect the apples from bruising.
When MSU's Zhaojian Li, a Red Cedar Distinguished Associate Professor in the College of Engineering, partnered with Renfu Lu with the USDA, they wanted to automate apple picking to address labor shortages and rising costs while maintaining the quality of the apples picked.
With support from USDA, Li and Lu developed their first robotic apple picker in 2021. Since then, advances in technology have led to the latest version of the robotic prototype, which uses AI and engineering technology to select and pick the best apples.
Behind the scenes of the apple-picking robot
The apple-picking robot uses an RGB-D camera that provides images containing the color of the apples (the RGB) and the depth or location (the D) of the apples on the tree. AI uses these images to identify the apples that are ripe and ready for picking. Then, one of the robotic arms is directed to the best apple. The soft silicone gripper on the arm gently "grabs" the apple while the robotic arm suctions the apple — "picking" it from the tree. Next, the arm moves over to a conveyor belt and the vacuum inside the robotic arm is turned off, which drops the apple, and the process repeats. Currently, the robot can pick an apple in 3.6 seconds or approximately 1 ton of apples a day compared to a skilled apple picker, who can pick about 6 tons of apples in a day.
"This technology has great potential locally, state-wide, and even nationally to make an impact on the permanent long-term labor shortage that is threatening the specialty crop industry in Michigan and across the U.S."
The MTRAC AgBio program is co-funded by MSU and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. To advance the robotic apple picker technology, the program has provided funding to improve the efficiency of the system in both rate and accuracy. Looking ahead, the researchers have identified new opportunities for further improvement and have sought additional funding as the technology moves rapidly toward testing in commercial orchards in Michigan. These developments are particularly timely for farm operations that have high fruit volumes, as they contend with an ever-decreasing number of workers to handpick all the apples. The race to develop technologies that meet the need is clearly underway.
For more information:
Emilie Lorditch
Michigan State University
426 Auditorium Road
East Lansing, MI 48824
Tel: +1 (517) 355-1855
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.msutoday.msu.edu