MUMBAI, India, Sept. 28 -- Intellectual Property India has published a patent application (202641111060 A) filed by Pragati Engineering College on September 16, 2026, for Smart Fruit Harvesting System Using Ai-Based Ripeness Estimation And Robotic Grasp Control.
Inventors include Dr. Subodh Kumar Panda; Mrs. P Gayathri; Mrs. B Vasantha Lakhsmi; and Mr. G. Vijaya Kumar.
The application for the patent was published on September 25, 2026, under issue no. 39/2026.
Abstract: Proposed Smart Fruit Harvesting System with AI Based Ripeness Estimation and Robotic Grasp Control Abstract The proposed invention is a Smart Fruit Harvesting System with AI based ripeness estimation and robotic grasp control for automatic identification, selection and harvesting of mature fruits with minimal human supervision. This system uses combination of computer vision, artificial intelligence (AI), robotic arm manipulation, and intelligent grasping control for selective fruit harvesting. Initially the plant with the fruits on it is imaged by using a camera or depth camera in a controlled or natural light environment. The image data are pre- processed and passed to the AI based fruit detection model like YOLO for the localization of each fruit in the image and their coordinates are computed. The selected fruit’s image regions then fed to the ripeness estimation model that extracts the visual features including colour, texture, shape and surface appearance for judging maturity. Fruits then classified into unripened, semi-ripened, ripened, and over-ripened state and hence only appropriate fruits for harvesting are selected. For the selected ripe fruits their three-dimensional positions are determined using depth sensor information (depth vision), stereo vision or calibrated image-space coordinated estimation, by a localization module. Based on these coordinates, the position is provided to the robotic arm controller to generate an efficient trajectory for movement of end-effector in proximity to the identified fruit. A suitable grasp position is also computed, based on fruit size and orientation and applied through an intelligent grasp control module with the adequate force. Finally, a detachable harvesting apparatus such as stem cutting mechanism, twists the fruit from the stem with minimal mechanical damage and the fruits are transported to the collection device by the robotic arm. The harvesting process details such as no of fruits detected, no of fruits ripe and harvested and the overall system status are monitored by a monitoring module. Overall, it facilitates a scalable and a highly automated and smart fruit harvesting mechanism.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
