Fruit and vegetable harvest efficiency depends on the mechanization and automation of production. The available literature lacks the results of research on the applicability of pneumatic end effectors among grippers for the robotic harvesting of strawberries. To determine their practical applications, a series of tests was performed. They included the determination of the morphological indicators of the strawberry, fruit suction force, the real stress exerted by fruit suckers and the degree of fruit damage. The fruits’ morphological indicators included the relationships between the weight and geometrical dimensions of the tested fruit, the equivalent diameter, and the sphericity coefficient. The fruit suction force was determined on a stand equipped with a vacuum pump, and control and measurement instruments, as well as a MTS 2 testing machine. The necrosis caused by tissue damage to the fruits by suction cup adhesion was assessed by counting the necrosis surface areas using the LabView programme. The assessment of the necrosis was conducted immediately upon the test’s performance, after 24 and after 72h. The stress values were calculated by referring the values of the suction forces obtained to the surface of the suction cup face. The tests were carried out with three constructions of suction cups and three positions of suction cup faces on the fruits’ surface. The research shows that there is a possibility for using pneumatic suction cups in robotic picking heads. The experiments performed indicate that the types of suction cups constructions, and the zones and directions of the suction cups’ application to the fruit significantly affect the values of the suction forces and stresses affecting the fruit. The surface areas of the necrosis formed depend mainly on the time that elapses between the test and their assessment. The weight of strawberry fruit in the conducted experiment constituted from 13.6% to 23.1% of the average suction force.

The color of French fries is an organoleptic attribute indicative of this product quality and also a reliable indicator of its safety. The darker the product color, the higher its acrylamide concentration. Acrylamide is an organic compound of the amide group showing neurotoxic and potential mutagenic actions in the human body. The content of acrylamide in fried potato products essentially depends on the contents of reducing sugars in intermediates of French fries’ production. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of UV-C irradiation and the soaking of potato strips in water on French fries’ color. The study was conducted on French fries obtained from tubers of the Innovator variety. The study was performed with the use of a special chamber for UV-C irradiation of biological samples and the CIE L*a*b* model for color analysis. The results of the study demonstrated that UV-C stimulation of potato tubers before processing had a beneficial effect on French fries’ color while the blanching of potato strips and soaking in water at a temperature of 40 °C resulted in the production of French fries lighter in color.

This study aims to determine the effect of raw potato tubers’ exposure to UV-C radiation and semi-products soaking in water on the content of acrylamide in the dry matter of French fries. The French fries were prepared from tubers of the Innovator variety of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). Acrylamide contents were determined by HPLC-UV/Vis on a C-18 column after extraction of fried potatoes with acetonitrile. Potato tubers exposure to UV-C radiation caused an increase in acrylamide content and the soaking of semi-products in water caused a decrease in acrylamide content in the dry matter of French fries.

Strawberry fruits are products of high commercial and consumption value, and, at the same time, they are difficult to harvest due to their very low mechanical strength and difficulties in identifying them within the bush. Therefore, robots collecting strawberries should be equipped with four subsystems: a video object detection system, a collecting arm, a unit for the reception and possible packaging of the fruit, and a traction system unit. This paper presents a concept for the design and operation of the working section of a harvester for strawberry fruit crops grown in rows or beds, in open fields, and/or under cover. In principle, the working section of the combine should meet parameters comparable with those of manually harvested strawberries (efficiency, quality of harvested fruit) and minimise contamination in the harvested product. In order to meet these requirements, in the presented design concept, it was assumed that these activities would be performed during harvesting with the natural distribution of fruits within the strawberry bush, and the operation of the working head arm maneuvering in the vicinity of the picked fruit, the fruit receiving unit, and other obstacles was developed on the basis of image analysis, initially general, and in detail in the final phase. The paper also discusses the idea of a vision system in which the algorithm used has been positively tested to identify the shapes of objects, and due to the similarity of space, it can be successfully used for the correct location of strawberry fruit.

Wydawnictwo SIGMA-NOT wydaje czasopisma fachowe informuj?ce swoich czytelnik?w o najnowszych osi?gni?ciach naukowych i nowoczesnych rozwi?zaniach technicznych w Polsce i na ?wiecie, popularyzuje problemy techniczne oraz poszerza wiedz? i kultur? techniczn?.

This paper presents the design of a strawberry fruit head gripper unit, together with the concept of a control system for the operation of its mechanisms and vision system. The developed design consists of three specialised mechanisms: positioning, grasping, and cutting off of the fruit. A Finite Element Method (FEM) model was developed for the described design. Next, calculations were carried out, based on which the construction materials were selected. The key performance parameters of the functional model, built on the basis of the developed design concept, were verified under laboratory conditions. In tests carried out on the possible hematoma caused by exceeding the breaking stress induced by the pressure of the encompassing jaws on the fruit, it was found that none of the fruit tested suffered mechanical damage as a result of the sensor triggering force, and the average length of the trimmed stalk was approximately 14 mm. The designed head gripper, together with the proposed automation system, will contribute to improving harvesting precision, and this will favour a reduction in the quantitative and qualitative losses of the harvested crop. The experimental tests conducted under harvesting conditions showed a high efficiency of 95% in identifying ripe fruit, and the harvesting efficiency of the robotic arm was 90%.