Development of a Robotic Cutting Gripper for Harvesting

Labor shortages owing to rural depopulation and aging are accelerating automation in agriculture. Harvesting, a labor-intensive task, requires precise operations, such as g rasping and cutting. This study presents a cutting gripper end-effector capable of both the aforementioned actions, designed for use with commercial multi-joint robotic arms. The modular mechanism, driven by a DC motor, ensures parallel finger movement, stable grip, and accurate cutting. Experiments conducted in a horticultural testbed demonstrated grasping and cutting success rates of 95% and 90%, respectively. The system proved reliable and durable through repeated operational tests, thus establishing its potential in automated harvesting. This end-effector is suitable for deployment in both agricultural and industrial fields, where repetitive precision handling is required.