Research status of apple picking robotic arm picking strategy and end-effector

Currently, the picking efficiency of apple picking robot is not high, easy to damage the fruit, which seriously affects the productization and marketization of apple picking robot. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a systematic review of the research status of apple picking robots. Firstly, this paper summarizes the research status of apple picking robot. The picking motions that simulate human actions, obstacle avoidance strategies, trajectory planning algorithms, and multi-arm cooperative picking strategies are discussed and summarized in depth. Then, the key structure of the apple picking robot’s end-effector is analyzed. This study further elaborates on its picking mode, along with the rigidity and flexibility characteristics. Finally, aiming at the problems existing in robot picking strategies and picking end-effectors, this paper systematically reviews the research status and challenges in this field more comprehensively, and provides references for promoting the further development and application of apple picking robots.