Abstract
Strawberry harvesting is labor-intensive and requires delicate, selective handling. Current robotic solutions rely mostly on rigid arms, which lack flexibility and often cause fruit damage or require complex mechanisms. To address this, we propose an intelligent soft robotic system for efficient and gentle strawberry harvesting. The system combines an AI-powered computer vision module to detect ripe strawberries, a soft silicone-based robotic arm to handle fruit without damage, and a data-driven control method for smooth, adaptive movement. An adjustable ground vehicle supports flexible field navigation. Initial results show a harvest success rate of 66.7% and an average speed of 240 strawberries per hour, demonstrating the potential of soft robotics for safer and more effective automated harvesting.
Keywords
Soft Robot, Artificial Intelligence, Smart Agriculture, Autonomous Harvesting
DOI
10.5703/1288284318188
An AI-enhanced Soft Robotic System for Selective Strawberry Harvesting
Strawberry harvesting is labor-intensive and requires delicate, selective handling. Current robotic solutions rely mostly on rigid arms, which lack flexibility and often cause fruit damage or require complex mechanisms. To address this, we propose an intelligent soft robotic system for efficient and gentle strawberry harvesting. The system combines an AI-powered computer vision module to detect ripe strawberries, a soft silicone-based robotic arm to handle fruit without damage, and a data-driven control method for smooth, adaptive movement. An adjustable ground vehicle supports flexible field navigation. Initial results show a harvest success rate of 66.7% and an average speed of 240 strawberries per hour, demonstrating the potential of soft robotics for safer and more effective automated harvesting.