Design and implementation of a Robotic Multigripper System for Transplanting Artichoke Seedlings in Multi-Cell Trays

The transplanting of seedlings is a fundamental task in industrial nurseries, and it is applied fundamentally in the process of quality control of the seedlings. Seedling quality control requires experienced operators to more accurately determine the quality of each seedling without the specialized human resources and affecting productivity. In this work, the design, simulation, and implementation of an electric multi-gripper system (three grippers) for artichoke seedlings transplantation is presented. A Cartesian robot is coupled as its end effector. The functional needs are identified and the conceptual, configuration and detail design is carried out for the mechanical and electronic subsystems. Also, an intelligent control strategy is developed to control the movements using optimal control and to communicate with a Cartesian robot in a master-slave framework. After extensive tests, the gripper performance is analyzed and results showed an improvement over existing grippers for transplanting. The results were a 100 % in the transplanting success rate of grasping and releasing seedlings in the tray cavities and only 2.94 % in the transplanting damage rate (mostly in leaves).