AUTONOMOUS HARVESTER FOR CILANTRO WITH BUNCHING AND TYING CAPABILITY

The overall objective of the research described in this Phase I proposal is to demonstrate the feasibility of the robotic mechanical system for detecting, cutting, collecting, bunching and tying stems of cilantro and other specialty crops. Padma AgRobotics has set the following specific objectives of the Phase I work plan to demonstrate the feasibility of the described system:O1. Construct a testing station to allow for controlled experimentation and design iterations.O2. Develop a bunching system that meets demanding performance and reliability criteria.O3. Improve the current version of the tying station and integrate it with the bunching system. The combined system must meet demanding performance and reliability criteria.O4. Integrate the combined bunching and tying system with a mobile robotic platform to enable field testing with real cilantro. Padma AgRobotics will perform field testing to improve the system as needed until obtaining the desired outcome.Padma AgRobotics will address the following questions to establish the technical feasibility of the proposed approach: (1) Can the system bunch > 99% of plants in an organized and neat manner?; (2) Can the system work at a speed of tying one bunch every three seconds?; (3) Can the system tie cilantro bunches that fall within a specified diameter tolerance > 99% of the time?; (4) Can the system prevent or reliably clear plant debris buildup that might occur during the operation?; (5) Can the system reliably work non-stop for 8 hours in the field?; (6) Can the system reliably deal with loose soil, dust and inclement weather?; and (7) Can the system accommodate imperfect plant inputs, including gaps in the plant row and plants in a range of heights and orientations?