3D Printing Soft Robotic Grippers for Automated Strawberry Harvesting

草莓是英国产量第二大、价值最高的水果，每年产量为14.16万吨，每吨售价为2460英镑。然而，草莓的收获是非常劳动密集型的，这增加了成本和劳动力短缺的脆弱性。甚至在流感大流行之前，英国就有超过30%的采摘者短缺，导致成吨的水果和蔬菜损失这激发了对自动抓取技术的大量研究，通常使用气动或液压抓取器。然而，制作这些夹子的刚性材料（通常是金属）使现有的夹子容易损坏草莓。软机器人技术是一个旨在制造主要由软材料组成的机器人的新领域。[6] 3D打印允许制造新型软体机器人，可以模仿生物有机体的复杂性和功能，从而实现提高机器人性能的新策略。该项目旨在研究一种新颖的3D打印软机器人抓取解决方案，使草莓能够快速而温和地收获。这将使用主管小组正在开发的新型3D打印机。它还将探索新的材料和结构。总之，这些新技术将导致更合适的机器人抓手的解决方案，并有可能在机器人收割的性能上有一个台阶的变化。参考文献[1]GOV.UK，“英国园艺统计”，GOV. GOV.；英国，（访问日期为2020年12月）。[3] M. MLOTEK， L. KUTA， R. STOPA， P. KOMARNICKI。“人工采摘水果对工人健康和所获产品质量的影响”，《制造学报》2015年第3期M. Garrad， G. Soter， A. T. Conn， H. Hauser， J. Rossiter。“柔性机器人的软物质计算机”，科学机器人，4,33,2019. b[5]熊毅，彭长鹏，l.g ristad， P.J.From， V.Isler。“一种具有电缆驱动抓取器的草莓收获机器人的开发与现场评估”，计算机与电子技术，57,392,2019. b[6]T. Wallin， J. Pikul， R. F. Shepherd，“软机器人系统的3D打印”，自然评论材料，3,84,2018。

Strawberries are the second most produced and highest value fruit in England with 141,600 tons grown annually fetching £2,460 per ton. However, strawberries are very labour-intensive to harvest, which increases costs and vulnerability to labour shortages. Even before the pandemic there was an over 30% shortage of pickers in the UK, causing tons of fruit and vegetables to be lost.[2] This has motivated much research into automated picking technologies, typically using pneumatic or hydraulic grippers. However, the rigid materials (often metals) these are made from make existing grippers prone to damaging strawberries.[3][4][5] Soft robotics is a new field aiming to make robots consisting largely of soft materials.[6] 3D printing allows the manufacture of novel soft robots that can mimic the complexity and functionality of biological organisms, enabling new strategies to enhance robot performance. This project aims to investigate a novel 3D printed soft robotic gripper solution enabling rapid yet gentle harvesting of strawberries. This will use new kinds of 3D printers being developed in the supervisor's group. It will also explore new materials and structures. Together, these new technologies will lead to a solution of more suitable robotic grippers and potentially a step change in the performance of robotic harvesting.References [1] GOV.UK, "UK HORTICULTURAL STATISTICS.",GOV.UK,(ACCESSED DEC. 2020).[2] https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/may/20/farms-still-need-up-to-40000-uk-workers-to-harvest-fruit-and-veg (ACESSED JAN. 2021)[3] M. MLOTEK, L. KUTA, R. STOPA, P. KOMARNICKI. "THE EFFECT OF MANUAL HARVESTING OF FRUIT ON THE HEALTH OF WORKERS AND THE QUALITY OF THE OBTAINED PRODUCE," PROCEDIA MANUFACTURING 3, 2015.[4] M. Garrad, G. Soter, A. T. Conn, H. Hauser, J. Rossiter. "A soft matter computer for soft robots", Science Robotics, 4, 33, 2019.[5] Y.Xiong, C.Peng, L.Grimstad, P.J.From, V.Isler. "Development and field evaluation of a strawberry harvesting robot with a cable-driven gripper", Computers and Electronics 157, 392, 2019.[6] T. Wallin , J. Pikul, R. F. Shepherd, "3D printing of soft robotic systems.", Nature Reviews Materials, 3, 84, 2018.