Ainia develops a system for detection and harvesting of soil fruits with 3D vision, AI and mobile robotics

VALENCIA, July 7 (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Food Technology Institute (Ainia) has developed, within the framework of the FOODCOLLECT II project, an autonomous system for detecting and collecting fruits from the ground based on photonic technologies, 3D vision, artificial intelligence and mobile robotics.

The combination of these technologies has made it possible to create a mobile robot that moves autonomously through the field detecting, collecting and storing fruits for further processing, according to Ainia in a statement.

In the second phase of the project, which began in 2021, the three modules that make up the robotic mobile platform have been integrated: an autonomous mobile robot equipped with GPS and vision sensors; a vision system with 2D cameras and a collaborative arm with a claw that facilitates the harvesting of the fruit.

The autonomous navigation module allows the robot to move around the field in search of the fruits that have fallen to the ground. To do this, an algorithm system has been developed that traces the optimal route to detect obstacles and avoid them, in addition to creating trajectories in the plot for efficient collection, Ainia has detailed.

The intelligent vision module, with 2D and 3D cameras, is responsible for detecting the fruits on the ground and locating the coordinates using artificial intelligence.

For its part, the collaborative handling module is integrated by a robotic arm with a harvesting tool, which has food safety specifications. The claw is designed to be able to adapt to different shapes and sizes of fruit and thus allow a soft grip.

The technological institute has indicated that this prototype is designed to collaborate with people by optimizing resources. The integrated solution developed in FOODCOLLECT II is being validated in fields of oranges and persimmons in the Valencian Community.

This contributes to improving the efficiency and sustainability of the Valencian countryside sector, Ainia highlighted, adding that the project also allows machinery and capital goods manufacturing companies to develop "leading technological applications with great potential for the national and international export.

The initiative has had the participation of Anecoop and Ava-Asaja, producing companies and fruit and vegetable centers that have helped define the problem of falling fruit and carry out field tests, the technological institute has indicated.

Likewise, there have been mobile robotics companies, such as ROBOTNIK, and specialists in agricultural technologies, such as AGROTECH ESPAÑA, who have participated in the validation and demonstration sessions.

With the FOODCOLLECT project, Ainia is "actively working" to reduce waste in the primary sector, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The project focuses on three SDGs: responsible production and consumption (SDG 12), zero hunger (SDG 2) and improvement of the technological capacity of industrial sectors (SDG 9).

The technological institute has exposed that almost 80 million tons of vegetables are wasted annually in primary production in Europe and has specified that 30 million of them are only fruit that is not sold. Much of this waste is fruit that falls on the ground and is not collected.

Ainia has highlighted that this can be used for various uses such as animal food, extracts, juices, processed products, aromas, sugars or biomass, among others.