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

图腾营养（TN）专注于养殖可食用昆虫的农场的发展，Acheta驯化**（蟋蟀）和tenbrio molitor（粉虫）。TN正在建立自己的农场，目标是建立一个完全自动化，高效的昆虫繁殖设施，具有高产量和高产品质量，这需要** *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平台，上面有一个工业机器人，用于：温柔地操纵装有易碎物体（昆虫幼虫）的托盘，**不应受到冲击和振动；**托盘的装卸、运输和卸料至筛选/分选设备；下载到指定的地点。农场的关键组成部分是移动平台。虽然我们设想用尽可能多的现成组件设计这个系统，但需要深入的运动分析来优化选择三个主要子系统：**移动平台；升降机构；还有操纵器。该平台极有可能被选为**全向移动机器人。通过Mekanum轮，平台可以设计为三个自由度：两个水平方向的平移和一个垂直轴的旋转。这样做的目的是为了让平台在一个较小的环境中自由运行，即昆虫饲养室，这里的空间被用来容纳尽可能多的昆虫托盘。至于工业机械手，一个选择将是一个**SCARA系统，有三个平移和一个旋转托盘操作。还需要一个子系统来将机器人垂直移动到给定高度的托盘上，托盘的高度可以在0到2.2米之间。

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.