Rapid Damage Free Robotic Harvesting Of Tomatoes

This book shares the latest findings on this topic, systematically introduces readers to advances made in robotic harvesting around the globe, and explores the relations between the development of robotic harvesting and the respective social/economic conditions and agricultural business patterns in various countries/regions. Due to the unstructured setting it is used in, and to the significant differences between individual fruit and vegetable targets, robotic harvesting is currently considered to be one of the most challenging robotics technologies. Accordingly, research into this area involves the integration of various aspects, including biomechanics, optimization design, advanced perception and intelligent control. In addition to rapid and damage-free robotic harvesting, which reflects the multidisciplinary nature of the topic, further aspects addressed include gripping collisions with viscoelastic objects, using lasers to cut plant material, plant-fruit response to vacuum sucking and pulling, and performance probability distribution. Highlighting outstanding innovations and reflecting the latest advances in intelligent agricultural equipment in China, the book offers a unique and valuable resource.

This book covers three main types of agricultural systems: the use of robotics, drones (unmanned aerial vehicles), and satellite-guided precision farming methods. Some of these are well refined and are currently in use, while others are in need of refinement and are yet to become popular. The book provides a valuable source of information on this developing field for those involved with agriculture and farming and agricultural engineering. The book is also applicable as a textbook for students and a reference for faculty.

Harvesting robots have been increasingly used in greenhouses and orchards in Canada, USA, and other countries. Tomatoes are the most popular greenhouse product, and oranges, apricots and plums are popular fruits in orchards. For better tomato and fruit freshness and automatic harvesting capability, real-time recognition and localization of tomatoes and fruits are becoming critical. The robot vision system is the most important aspect of the process for detecting and recognizing the objects upon which a harvesting robot works. This research aims to develop a more practical robot vision system that can be easily implemented in the real world and is computationally efficient. First, a single color component (V or U in a YUV color space) is used to segment out the region of interest (ROI) of the harvest objects from the harvest background, stems, and foliage. Second, an edge extractor with constrained curvature is developed to extract the arc edges within a certain radius range based on the model (definition) of the harvest objects. Based on the qualified edges, the central points of each qualified harvest object in the ROI are calculated. Finally, according to the circle-to-circle relationship found in the geometric analysis, the overlapping area between two harvest objects is calculated, and the depth ordering of the two overlapping harvest objects is determined. In the further research, a sub-block object searching algorithm is proposed to solve the problem of the missing objects' boundaries. For advanced harvesting requirements of online sorting, a salience-based algorithm is proposed to discriminate the degrees of ripeness in tomatoes. For computing acceleration, task scheduling and load balancing are conducted for multi-core and cloud-based computing. The key contributions of this thesis are the practical study of multiple aspects of robotic vision problems encountered in the harvesting of tomatoes and fruits.

According to Prof. D. Despommier, by the year 2050, nearly 80% of the earth's population will reside in urban centers. Furthermore, the human population will increase by about 3 billion people during the interim. New land will be needed to grow enough food to feed them. At present, throughout the world, over 80% of the land that is suitable for raising crops is in use. What can be done to avoid this impending disaster? One possible solution is indoor farming. However, not all crops can easily be moved in an indoor environment. Nevertheless, to secure the food supply, it is necessary to increase the automation level in agriculture significantly. This book intends to provide the reader with a comprehensive overview of the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and automation examples in agriculture.

This book constitutes selected papers from the Second International Conference on Microelectronic Devices, Circuits and Systems, ICMDCS 2021, held in Vellore, India, in February 2021. The 32 full papers and 6 short papers presented were thoroughly reviewed and selected from 103 submissions. They are organized in the topical sections on ​digital design for signal, image and video processing; VLSI testing and verification; emerging technologies and IoT; nano-scale modelling and process technology device; analog and mixed signal design; communication technologies and circuits; technology and modelling for micro electronic devices; electronics for green technology.

This books presents the results of the 6th edition of "Field and Service Robotics" FSR03, held in Chamonix, France, July 2007. The conference provided a forum for researchers, professionals and robot manufacturers to exchange up-to-date technical knowledge and experience. This book offers a collection of a broad range of topics including: Underwater Robots and Systems, Autonomous Navigation for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Simultaneous Localization and Mapping, and Climbing Robotics.

An exploration of the fast food industry in the United States, from its roots to its long-term consequences.

Over the past century, mechanization has been an important means for optimizing resource utilization, improving worker health and safety and reducing labor requirements in farming while increasing productivity and quality of 4F (Food, Fuel, Fiber, Feed). Recognizing this contribution, agricultural mechanization was considered as one of the top ten engineering achievements of 20th century by the National Academy of Engineering. Accordingly farming communities have adopted increasing level of automation and robotics to further improve the precision management of crops (including input resources), increase productivity and reduce farm labor beyond what has been possible with conventional mechanization technologies. It is more important than ever to continue to develop and adopt novel automation and robotic solutions into farming so that some of the most complex agricultural tasks, which require huge amount of seasonal labor such as fruit and vegetable harvesting, could be automated while meeting the rapidly increasing need for 4F. In addition, continual innovation in and adoption of agricultural automation and robotic technologies is essential to minimize the use of depleting resources including water, minerals and other chemicals so that sufficient amount of safe and healthy food can be produced for current generation while not compromising the potential for the future generation. This book aims at presenting the fundamental principles of various aspects of automation and robotics as they relate to production agriculture (the branch of agriculture dealing with farming operations from field preparation to seeding, to harvesting and field logistics). The building blocks of agricultural automation and robotics that are discussed in the book include sensing and machine vision, control, guidance, manipulation and end-effector technologies. The fundamentals and operating principles of these technologies are explained with examples from cutting-edge research and development currently going on around the word. This book brings together scientists, engineers, students and professionals working in these and related technologies to present their latest examples of agricultural automation and robotics research, innovation and development while explaining the fundamentals of the technology. The book, therefore, benefits those who wish to develop novel agricultural engineering solutions and/or to adopt them in the future. .

120 leading experts from twelve countries have participated in creating this Second Edition of the Handbook of Industrial Robotics. Of its 66 chapters, 33 are new, covering important new topics in the theory, design, control, and applications of robotics. Other key features include a larger glossary of robotics terminology with over 800 terms and a CD-ROM that vividly conveys the colorful motions and intelligence of robotics. With contributions from the most prominent names in robotics worldwide, the Handbook remains the essential resource on all aspects of this complex subject.