CPS: SMALL: LEARNING TO PICK FRUIT USING CLOSED LOOP CONTROL AND IN

The overarching goal of this project is to use proprioception, localized sensing, and observed forces to develop robust, autonomous fruit picking methods. The proposed project has the following set of objectives:1. Create an extended manipulation feedback loop incorporating a rich set of in-hand sensors with the objective of providing fine control over how the fruit is separated from the tree.2. To overcome the constraints of data collection in the field, we will develop a learning framework for compartmentalizing the tasks and design an instrumented proxy to serve as a training environment.3. Validate closed loop controllers during limited field trials in a commercial apple orchard.