Field Evaluation of a Mobile Robotic Unit for Fruit Harvesting

Abstract

Date palm trees have been increasingly in Saudi Arabia. All previous attempts to harvest date have relied on the delivery of experienced workers to the top of the palm tree by a safety belt around him and the palm or by assisting of a machine. These systems have different disadvantages such as unbalance and limited performance. Also, due to limitations of experienced workers, diverse scientific and commercial applications for date harvesting are developed to enhance productivity and efficiency. This paper presents the field evaluation of a robotic unit fixed on Cat Telehandler. Computer program was developed to guide the unit to the right position at date palm tree. The unit is tested and evaluated against cut the date bunches and handling them with the assist of digital camera in maturity stage.