Recent Advances in Intelligent Harvesting Robots

Intelligent harvesting robots have become an important trend in contemporary agricultural production, providing efficient and accurate solutions for fruit orchards and fields through the coordinated integration of their “eye-brain-hand-feet” components. This technology encompasses key elements such as information perception, intelligent decision-making, operational execution mechanisms, and autonomous navigation platforms. Information perception involves the use of various sensors to gather environmental and object data, while intelligent decision-making utilizes algorithms and models to autonomously formulate effective decisions. Operational execution mechanisms perform harvesting actions, and autonomous navigation platforms enable robots to navigate autonomously and avoid obstacles in unknown or dynamic environments. However, this technology faces challenges such as environmental complexity, fruit diversity, and autonomous navigation precision. This paper reviews the research progress of this technology over the past five years, providing a comprehensive overview of the current state and future trends. It aims to offer valuable insights to researchers, agricultural producers, and policymakers, facilitating the application and promotion of modern agricultural technology, and advancing agricultural production towards modernization, intelligence, and sustainability.