This research addresses the enhancement of operational efficiency in apple-picking robots through the design of a bimanual spatial configuration enabling obstacle avoidance in contemporary orchard environments. A parallel coordinated harvesting paradigm for dual-arm systems was introduced, leading to the construction and validation of a six-degree-of-freedom bimanual apple-harvesting robot. Leveraging the kinematic architecture of the AUBO-i5 manipulator, three spatial layout configurations for dual-arm systems were evaluated, culminating in the adoption of a “workspace-overlapping Type B” arrangement. A functional prototype of the bimanual apple-harvesting system was subsequently fabricated. The study further involved developing control architectures for two end-effector types: a compliant gripper and a vacuum-based suction mechanism, with corresponding operational protocols established. A networked communication framework for parallel arm coordination was implemented via Ethernet switching technology, enabling both independent and synchronized bimanual operation. Additionally, an intersystem communication protocol was formulated to integrate the robotic vision system with the dual-arm control architecture, establishing a modular parallel execution model between visual perception and motion control modules. A coordinated bimanual harvesting strategy was formulated, incorporating real-time trajectory and pose monitoring of the manipulators. Kinematic simulations were executed to validate the feasibility of this strategy. Field evaluations in modern Red Fuji apple orchards assessed multidimensional harvesting performance, revealing 85.6% and 80% success rates for the suction and gripper-based arms, respectively. Single-fruit retrieval averaged 7.5 s per arm, yielding an overall system efficiency of 3.75 s per fruit. These findings advance the technological foundation for intelligent apple-harvesting systems, offering methodologies for the evolution of precision agronomic automation.
Yan et al. (Fri,) studied this question.