Chinese researchers have recently unveiled an innovative apple-picking robot, which is currently undergoing test in a simulated orchard laboratory.

Developed by a team at Northwest A and F University in Xianyang City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, the robot is affectionately referred to as the "Twins."

This robotic system consists of two semi-humanoid robots, one tall and one short, operating on a shared tracked base. They are currently participating in picking training within a simulated orchard laboratory at the university.

The taller robot, named Big Guy, is designed to pick apples hanging over 1.5 meters high, while the shorter one, Little Guy, focuses on harvesting lower-hanging fruit. Together, the two robots work in harmony to ensure all apples on a tree are harvested efficiently, Prof. Yang Fuzeng said, adding that the "Twins" can complete the picking of a single fruit in an average of 7.5 seconds.

A critical feature of the twin robots is their advanced vision system, installed on their heads and mechanical arms. This system functions like eyes, allowing the robots to accurately scan the shape of fruit trees, assess the color and size of the apples, and immediately relay this information to the robot's central processing unit.

"The robot's 'brain' uses algorithms for recognition and analysis. It identifies where the apple trees are, where the branches are, where the apples are, and even which apples are damaged from pests. It filters this information to determine which apples are in good condition and issues commands to the robot, directing it to complete the picking with its mechanical arm," said Chen Chongcheng, a Ph.D. student candidate involved in the project.

Both robots are equipped with dual arms, though their designs differ. Little Guy features a rectangular industrial mechanical arm, while Big Guy's arms are more akin to human limbs, offering greater joint flexibility.

"During the apple-picking process, Big Guy can adopt various angles and poses to navigate around obstacles to grasp and pick apples. Meanwhile, Little Guy has the advantage of a larger operational range and operates at a faster speed, making it more efficient," said Chen.

In addition to refining the technology used in the picking claws, the research team is also working on calculating the maximum incline the robots can handle and testing their ability to cross ditches. These efforts aim to ensure that the robots can be deployed in practical settings as soon as possible.