UD Blue Hens - University of Delaware (Newark, DE)
The UD Blue Hens built a vision-guided watermelon harvesting system that integrates YOLO-based machine vision, a compliant vacuum end-effector and a vine-cutting mechanism mounted on the Amiga platform. The vision pipeline localizes melons in three dimensions within dense vine canopies, allowing the robotic arm to approach, grip and lift fruit with the gentleness required to avoid bruising. A coordinated vine-cutter cleanly separates each melon at the stem, and the arm transfers the fruit to an onboard bin without operator intervention. The system targets one of agriculture's most physically demanding harvest tasks, reducing labor strain while improving consistency and traceability for a high-value specialty crop.
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Olin College Robotics Lab - Olin College of Engineering (Needham, MA)
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