2025/07/14 by R. Nithya, A. Surendrakumar, R. Kavitha +2 · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Engineering · #Plant Physiology and Cultivation Studies #Smart Agriculture and AI #Tree Root and Stability Studies
paper · doi:10.1080/14620316.2025.2520366
openalex publication_date 2025/07/14 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/15
Mechanised systems for ground collection of fruits, seeds, and nuts represent a key advancement, greatly reducing the labour intensity associated with traditional methods. Fruits such as oil palm, neem, jujube, citrus, jojoba seeds, and nuts that fall from trees require efficient ground collection. Improper collection of fruits or seeds from the ground can lead to potential income loss for producers and industries. Manual collection through picking or raking is tedious and takes 30% of harvesting time. Additionally, workers are prone to fatigue, back pain, and an increased risk of musculoskeletal disorders. To address this issue and increase collection capacity, various mechanical collectors, including roller-type and pneumatic-type collectors, have been developed. Each type possesses merits and demerits, which were explored in this study. However, the focus has shifted to autonomous collection. Various navigation techniques and algorithms have been formulated for autonomous movement of robots in complex and dynamic environments. An exoskeleton system also presents a viable solution for collection, improving human perception, and support in situations where autonomous robots encounter navigation challenges in dense plantations. Therefore, this paper reviews many of the emerging technologies for mechanised fruit collection from the ground, concentrating on their design, efficiency, and limitations.