Optimal design and simulation of a robot hand for a robot pumpkin harvesting system

Abstract

More than 40% of pumpkins are planted in Hokkaido, Japan. In recent years, the planting area of pumpkin decreased year by year for the shortage of farmers for harvesting. We are going to develop a robot harvester to help the farmers keep the current planting scale in Japan. However, the complex environment in which pumpkin are grown and various shapes and sizes, which make it is difficult for robot hand to automatically pick pumpkin.1 It’s indispensable that building a mechanical structure adapted to the farm environment and to the characteristics of the fruits and vegetables.2,3,4 The robot hand plays a key role in automatic harvesting for different targets, therefore its design is particularly important.5,6,7