ROBOT WORKCELL FOR TRANSPLANTING OF SEEDLINGS PART II - END-EFFECTOR DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

ABSTRACT The successful integration of a robot with seedling transplanting requires an operational end-effector. Two types of grippers were designed in this study for seedling picking, holding, and planting during robotic transplanting. They were called Swinging Needles and Sliding Needles, respectively. The Sliding Needles gripper was found to be functionally superior to the Swinging Needles for seedling transplanting. Further study was done to incorporate a seedling sensing capability to the Sliding Needles gripper. A capacitive proximity sensor was selected and its sensing capability tested on plant materials. The sensor was found to have satisfactory performance in terms of detecting seedlings held by the gripper. The sensor and the gripper were then integrated to become a final end-effector design called Sliding Needles with Sensor. A prototype of the final design version was tested. The gripper was adaptable to a wide range of seedling sizes and shapes. The sensor on the gripper assured that the growing flats were transplanted with seedlings of satisfactory quality.