Tomato harvesting robot.

Abstract

In Uganda, Tomato growing is increasing due to its benefits such as making tomato sauce and its application to many other kind of Food which is so profitable as they are needed in many restaurants and home use. This increases country's economy as they are exported to' the neighboring countries such as southern Sudan. However, the processes done during the growing of tomatoes are so tiresome, say spraying, harvesting etc., therefore, if not harvested in time with much care can cause a great loss to the farmers. Currently used methods of tomato harvesting are not so effective and some of them cause damage to the tomatoes. This has caused a decrease in the country's economy and a loss to the tomato growers in Uganda. In this System, a color sensor is used to detect the ripe tomatoes which easies the harvesting and also reduce on the time taken during harvesting and the ultrasonic used in. the detection of distances between the obstacle and the system. A GSM module used to notify the farmer when the container used- in the collection of the tomatoes is full, also when the robot has encountered an obstacle. The methods used in the data collection were; use of the internet through articles and journals. Observations, here I moved to some to some areas where tomatoes are grown and observe the methods used in harvesting. Also interviews were conducted to a few individuals of tomatoes growers from eastern Uganda. Harvesting is a problem in agriculture; therefore, designed this system to help farmers during the harvesting periods This system is self-guided and can navigate through the garden without fail as long as tomatoes are plant rows and supported. This system is able to communicate with the farmer when the collection bucket is by the use of GSM module. Though my system is an intelligent system but still it has some limitations, therefore, it won't help the farmers replace the container when it gets full. So in case the farmer delays to replace the system will stop harvesting and this will affect the performance of the system. I therefore recommend the advancement in technology where there will be some provisions for the robot to replace the container in case it gets full. I also recommend the use of solar as the source of energy and solar tracking system for the robot to receive enough power.