September 2020 - 14

Mechanism made for automated, robotic apple pruning
By Jeff Mulhollem
Penn State University
The first robotic cutting
mechanism - or " end-effector " - for
a fully automated, computerized
pruning system for modern apple
orchards has been designed by a
Penn State research team, an early
step in the creation of a technology
aimed at easing challenges facing
tree-fruit growers.
The research is important because
the pruning of apple trees comprises
about 20% of total preharvest
production costs, and the tree-fruit
industry is struggling with increasing
labor costs and a limited labor pool.
Automated or mechanical pruning
could largely solve those problems,
according to researcher Long He,
assistant professor of agricultural and
biological engineering in the College
of Agricultural Sciences.
In the United States, the tree-fruit
This model of the end-effector developed in this research shows how it achieves a high
degree of mechanical dexterity. It is envisioned by researchers as a core component in an
entirely automated pruning system for fruit trees. Graphic: Long He research group/Penn
State University
industry contributes one-fourth,
or $18 billion, of all specialty crop
production, and apples are one of the
most valuable. Pruning is a necessary
cultivation technique that affects fruit
quality, quantity and the efficacy
of pest control, and it is still largely
dependent on manual labor, He noted.
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skilled labor is required per acre for
manual pruning of apple trees.
" Robotics and automation
technologies are now extensively
used in agriculture, while production
operations of tree-fruit crops still
depend on manual labor, " said He.
" One big reason is that robotic pruning
involves several challenges due to the
unstructured working environment. "
In the study, conducted at
Penn State's Fruit Research
and Extension Center in Adams
County, Pennsylvania, researchers
first measured branch-cutting force
with a sensor attached to manual
pruners to provide information for the
end-effector design. It was developed
using two rotary motors, a pneumatic
cylinder and a pair of shear-blade
pruning cutters. A three-directional
linear manipulator was built to house
the end-effector and move it to
the targeted pruning locations.
To guide the maneuvering of the
end-effector and the manipulator
control, they developed an embedded
microcontroller system with a
user interface using an interactive
mathematical program that allows
calculations to be visualized. A
mathematical model was developed for
simulation of workspace utilization and
reachable points for the end-effector.
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September 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2020
