Development of the concept of a mobile robotic platform for handling insect-breeding trays

图腾营养（TN）的重点是发展养殖可食用昆虫，Acheta acuticus **（蟋蟀）和黄粉虫（粉虫）的农场。TN正在建立自己的农场，目标是建立一个全自动、高效的昆虫养殖设施，具有高产量和高产品质量，需要最少的人为干预。昆虫养殖场自动化的主要手段是一个机器人移动的 ** 平台，上面有一个工业机器人，用于：轻轻地操纵装有易碎物体（昆虫幼虫）的托盘，** 这些物体不应受到冲击和振动;装载和卸载，运输和卸载 ** 托盘到筛选/分类设备;以及将它们下载到指定位置。农场的关键组件 ** 是移动的平台。虽然我们设想用尽可能多的现成 ** 组件设计该系统，但需要进行深入的运动分析以最佳地选择三个主要子系统：** 移动的平台;升降机构;和机械手。该平台将最有可能被选为 ** 一个全向移动的机器人。通过Mekanum轮，平台可以设计为具有三个自由度：在两个水平方向上的平移和围绕一个垂直轴的旋转。其目的是允许平台在一个缩小的环境中自由操作，昆虫饲养室，空间被用来允许尽可能多的昆虫托盘。至于工业机械手，一个选择是 **SCARA系统，具有三个平移和一个旋转用于托盘操作。需要再增加一个子系统 **，将机器人垂直移动到托盘的给定高度，托盘的位置高度范围为0至2.2 m**。

Tottem Nutrition (TN) focuses on the development of farms breeding edible insects, Acheta domesticus**(cricket), and Tenebrio molitor (mealworm). TN is setting up its own farm with the goal of building a fully**automated, efficient insect-breeding facility, with high throughput and high product quality, which calls for**minimum human intervention. The main means of automation of the insect-breeding farm is a robotic mobile**platform with an industrial robot on top for: gentle manipulation of trays with delicate objects (insect larvae),**which should not be subjected to shock and vibration; loading and unloading, transporting and discharging the**trays to the sifting/sorting equipment; and their downloading onto the designated locations. The key component**of the farm is the mobile platform. While we envision designing this system with as many off-the-shelf**components as possible, an in-depth motion analysis is required to optimally select the three main subsystems:**the mobile platform; the lifting mechanism; and the manipulator. The platform will most likely be selected as**an omnidirectional mobile robot. By means of Mekanum wheels, the platform can be designed with three**degrees of freedom: translation in two horizontal directions and rotation about one vertical axis. The purpose is**to allow the platform to freely operate in a reduced environment, the insect-raising room, where space is to be**used to allow for as many trays of insects as possible. As to the industrial manipulator, an option would be a**SCARA system, with three translations and one rotation for the tray manipulation. One more subsystem will be**required to move the robot vertically to a given height of a tray whose location can range between 0 and 2.2 m**in height.