en.Wedoany.com Reported - China's first fresh fava bean harvesting robot recently completed a field machine operation demonstration during a fresh fava bean harvesting technology showcase event held in Nantong City, Jiangsu Province, marking a key breakthrough in the field of intelligent harvesting equipment for fresh legumes in China.
The robot was jointly developed by the Nanjing Institute of Agricultural Mechanization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, in collaboration with Jiangsu Lanjiang Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., and the Jiangsu Yanjiang Institute of Agricultural Sciences.
At the operation site, amidst the verdant fava bean field, the robot moved smoothly along an autonomously planned path. The multi-vision system mounted on the machine rapidly scanned the plants, accurately identifying the position and posture of mature pods within the complex field environment of intertwined branches and overlapping pods.
Multiple robotic arms gently extended, utilizing force-feedback control technology to adaptively adjust gripping strength, swiftly completing the picking and collection process with continuous and fluid motion throughout.
Fresh fava beans are rich in nutrients and have high economic value, with an average output value exceeding 4,000 yuan per mu, making them a characteristic industry for enriching local populations in many parts of China. However, the high cost of harvesting has led to prominent problems of "labor shortage and high labor costs," becoming a key bottleneck for industrial development. The high planting density of fresh fava beans, the mutual occlusion of pods, and their tender, brittle texture make mechanized harvesting extremely difficult.
According to Researcher Xia Xianfei, chief of the agricultural robot team at the Nanjing Institute of Agricultural Mechanization, with support from the National Edible Bean Industry Technology System, the R&D team integrated advanced visual recognition and low-loss harvesting technologies, enabling the robot to "see clearly" and "grip steadily" the pods, achieving efficient and low-loss harvesting of fresh fava beans in a field environment, with a harvesting success rate exceeding 90%.
To date, the equipment has completed multiple rounds of field trial verification, with all performance indicators meeting design requirements.
The R&D team stated that the next step will focus on the actual needs of the industry, continuously optimizing the robot's performance, joining forces with leading enterprises to accelerate the transformation of achievements and industrial application, further reducing usage costs, and accelerating the promotion of robotics technology to empower the high-quality development of the fresh legume industry.
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