Due to a shortage of skilled workers, researchers around the world are working to develop harvesting robots that could provide support to agricultural businesses. Currently, however, according to Andreas Nüchter, from Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg, initial prototypes have yet to reach high levels of functionality for the necessary applications.
In response, researchers at the University of Würzburg have developed a 3D laser scanner system that aims to provide a better understanding of the condition of plants — for example, by reliably measuring the water content of fruits. This knowledge is crucial for determining the right time to harvest, according to Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB) researcher Manuela Zude-Sasse, who led the development team.
“For the production of horticultural products, knowledge of the stage of ripeness is very important in order to be able to optimally control cultivation, harvest time and storage,” Zude-Sasse said.
“Against the backdrop of increasingly variable growth factors due to global warming, precise data on fruit development is becoming increasingly important — for scientific modelling as well as for the future use of commercial harvesting robots.”
The development team installed the system on a test site in Potsdam, Germany, and initial tests have been successful, team members said. For testing, the 3D laser scanner was mounted on a sensor conveyor station that circles a plantation of 120 apple trees. Harvesting robots, or the imaging and sensing systems embedded into or onto them, must be able to ‘read’ apple trees and other plants correctly, since no two plants look exactly alike.
The plant scanner is further designed to withstand wind and weather, and to operate in temperatures between 0 °C - 40 °C. The sensor system works on the principle of structured light: It projects three wavelengths: 520 nm, 660 nm, and 830 nm onto the plants. The reflected signals provide precise spatial information about the plants. Because the signals are available separately for each wavelength, they open possibilities for recording physiological properties of the plants, such as water content.
The sensor system will be used continuously on the ATB test site until November to monitor the 120 apple trees. The researchers designed the 3D laser scanner exclusively for experimental use, they said, with the goal of improving the data basis for modelling work and the specifications for future harvesting robots.
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In response, researchers at the University of Würzburg have developed a 3D laser scanner system that aims to provide a better understanding of the condition of plants — for example, by reliably measuring the water content of fruits. This knowledge is crucial for determining the right time to harvest, according to Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB) researcher Manuela Zude-Sasse, who led the development team.
“For the production of horticultural products, knowledge of the stage of ripeness is very important in order to be able to optimally control cultivation, harvest time and storage,” Zude-Sasse said.
“Against the backdrop of increasingly variable growth factors due to global warming, precise data on fruit development is becoming increasingly important — for scientific modelling as well as for the future use of commercial harvesting robots.”
The development team installed the system on a test site in Potsdam, Germany, and initial tests have been successful, team members said. For testing, the 3D laser scanner was mounted on a sensor conveyor station that circles a plantation of 120 apple trees. Harvesting robots, or the imaging and sensing systems embedded into or onto them, must be able to ‘read’ apple trees and other plants correctly, since no two plants look exactly alike.
The plant scanner is further designed to withstand wind and weather, and to operate in temperatures between 0 °C - 40 °C. The sensor system works on the principle of structured light: It projects three wavelengths: 520 nm, 660 nm, and 830 nm onto the plants. The reflected signals provide precise spatial information about the plants. Because the signals are available separately for each wavelength, they open possibilities for recording physiological properties of the plants, such as water content.
The sensor system will be used continuously on the ATB test site until November to monitor the 120 apple trees. The researchers designed the 3D laser scanner exclusively for experimental use, they said, with the goal of improving the data basis for modelling work and the specifications for future harvesting robots.
Bio Photonics Research Award
Visit: biophotonicsresearch.com
Nominate Now: https://biophotonicsresearch.com/award-nomination/?ecategory=Awards&rcategory=Awardee
#MeatAnalysis #FluorescenceTech #FoodQuality #FoodSafety #SpectroscopyInFood #MeatAuthentication #RapidDetection #FoodScience #MeatFreshness #MolecularDetection #FoodIndustryInnovation #NonDestructiveTesting #FoodMonitoring #SpectroscopyApplications #QualityControl #AdvancedSpectroscopy #MeatSpoilageDetection #FoodIntegrity #SmartFoodTesting #RealTimeAnalysis #FoodAuthenticity #FoodSafetyInnovation #SpectroscopyResearch #NextGenFoodSafety #InnovativeFoodScience,
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