Autonomous Fruit Picking

Overview

The use of technology in the agriculture industry has been “fruitful” and is gaining traction fast. Our client developed a battery-operated AMR, and instead of a robotic arm, it comes with multiple drones attached. Like tentacles, the drones are fitted with a suction cup at the end that can suck onto and pick-off fruits off of trees/ vines.

Utilizing cameras mounted on the AMR to scan, and a computer with unique algorithm that can process scanned images to determine if the fruits are ripeness of the fruit. Once determined ripped and ready to be picked off, the computer assigns a drone to pick off as the AMR passes by. The collected fruits are stored in the cart and later processed once returned to the charging/ processing station. For fruits that are determined not ripe enough to be picked off are registered over the network and a cart will return at the estimated time when the fruit will become ripe, ready to be picked.

By implementing edge AI platform robot automation to determine/ analyze the ripeness of the targeted fruits and pick when ready, farmers need no longer frequently enter field and still can monitor in real time via an App on the tablet. With AI, robotics and its advanced vision system, it can identify and locate fruits ready to be picked. The system is customizable to accommodate the fruit being harvest, and the drones can be fitted with appropriate cradles designed to handle the fruit.

By replacing workers and deploying smart machines with drones into the field that can accurately recognize fruit ripeness, and arrange for them to be picked off at a later time, the AMR can offer safety, increase efficiency and productivity.

Challenges

In terms of hardware, there are two major challenges our customers faced. One, as with machines deployed into the field, they are subject to various weather conditions in the field. While the customer was able to sort out the external robotic component to endure environmental wear and tear, they had one obstacle that troubled their deployment, which was temperature. In their initial sample tests with another company's computing platform, the temperature under the sun exceeded 50°C causing it to thermal throttle, resulting in performance degradation. Overall, the system was hampered by the throttling CPU, and was not returning the expected productivity and performance.

Night/ dark lighting conditions

Under the weather, rain, sun, etc.

Second, the time for fruit to ripe may happen around the clock. So when the estimated time to ripe is during night time, the AMR will need to go back out there to collect the fruit in the dark. The AMR will plan a route that can collect the most number with efficiency (minimum returns to the charging/ processing station). The system will need to provide some form of lighting and the camera needs to be able to function regardless of the lighting conditions.

Solution

The solution came in the form of Neousys edge AI platform that met their specifications for edge AI processing, connectivity for multiple drones, and wireless communication for real-time status update. The Neousys platform offered true wide-temperature operation, up to 60°C. Once installed, working under sunny conditions, and thanks to Neousys' unique thermal dissipation design, the CPU did not throttle. With a Neousys edge AI platform at the helm, the system in the field was returning increased productivity and was performing above par.

Neousys Nuvo rugged edge AI platforms feature plenty of PoE+, GigE, and USB3.2 Gen1 ports to connect to sensors, cameras, LiDARs, etc. They also have internal expansion slots for installing WiFi 6/ 5 or 4/5G wireless communication modules, making it the ideal onboard computer system for AMR applications. Other standard features of the Neousys Nuvo embedded systems include wide temperature operation, ignition power control, MIL-STD-810G shock and vibration certifications.

Benefits of Neousys Rugged Embedded Computers

Neousys rugged embedded computers offer the following advantages:

Benefits of Neousys NRU Embedded Computers

Neousys NRU series embedded computers offer the following advantages: