Design and Analysis of a Four DoF Robotic Arm with Two Grippers Used in Agricultural Operations

Abstract

Both academic and commercial interest in agricultural robots has increased recently. This is due to the fact that agricultural robots address significant issues such as seasonal labor shortages during harvest and the rising concern over environmentally friendly practices. Because of these, several distinct agricultural robots have already been created for a variety of purposes, with varying degrees of success, including monitoring, spraying, harvesting, transport, etc. As a result, agriculture automation became unfeasible and unprofitable. The purpose of this study is to provide a new methodology for multitasking in performing agriculture operations by designing a 4 Degrees of freedom (4DoF) robotic arm with a new mechanism that has a different configuration with 2 grippers. We did kinematics and kinetics calculations using Denavit-Hardenberg (D-H) method with Lagrangian mechanics, and with the help of Christoffel Symbols of the First Kind, also We used Robot Operating System (ROS) to provide potential solutions using it. It is easy to be paired with other open-source technologies, such as android or IoT technologies. The robot arm can work synchronously with other hardware, sensors, cameras, and agricultural machines concerning farming operations. In conclusion, we believe that this new configuration will open a door for agricultural tasks to be easily automated and achieved using robotic technologies.