Saffron Harvesting using Robotic Arm Embedded on a Rover

Abstract

In India, floriculture is regarded as a high-growth industry in India since it has the potential to produce considered a high-growth industry due to its potential to produce significant earnings and job opportunities. Due to the rising demand for flowers across numerous industries, including weddings, events, festivals, and decorations, the production and trading of the flowers has experienced tremendous expansion in recent years. Due to the delicate nature of saffron harvesting is a labor-intensive operation that can be revolutionized by incorporating robotics and automation. In this study, a method of saffron harvesting employing a 6-degree-of-freedom robotic arm mounted on an autonomous rover is proposed. The robotic arm is fitted with cameras. When a mature saffron flower is found, the arm positions itself correctly for harvesting, employing precise kinematics to cut the blossom without damaging it and specialized end-effectors to carefully grasp and remove the saffron stigmas. The method utilizes the accuracy and consistency provided by robotics and CNN-based image processing to address the difficulties associated with manual saffron harvesting. The autonomous rover travels over the saffron fields while taking pictures of the saffron blooms with its internal cameras. The CNN module, which has been trained to recognize the distinctive characteristics of ripe saffron flowers and their stigmas, processes these photos after that. Advanced navigation, sensing, and control systems are integrated into the rover. In this case the rover is outfitted with navigation system that incorporates sensors like GPS and IMU, as well as possible cameras for environment perception. Due to the system’s ability to work continuously without the constraints of human labor, efficiency is considerably boosted. Our proposal eliminates the inherent uncertainty in manual harvesting while also lowering labor costs. This system’s successful implementation provides a window into the future of efficient, high-yield, sustainable saffron growth.