# Algorithm Design and Integration for a Robotic Apple Harvesting System

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2203.00582 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.00582/

## Key facts

- Cited by 6 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 1 Mar 2022.

## Built on by (most cited first, 6 of 6)

- [Label-Efficient Learning in Agriculture: A Comprehensive Review](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.14691/) (2023)
- [O2RNet: Occluder-Occludee Relational Network for Robust Apple Detection in Clustered Orchard Environments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.04884/) (2023)
- [Large Language Models and Foundation Models in Smart Agriculture: Basics, Opportunities, and Challenges](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.06668/) (2023)
- [Foundation Model-Based Apple Ripeness and Size Estimation for Selective Harvesting](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.01850/) (2025)
- [Category-Level 6D Object Pose Estimation in Agricultural Settings Using a Lattice-Deformation Framework and Diffusion-Augmented Synthetic Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.24636/) (2025)
- [Mind the Shape Gap: A Benchmark and Baseline for Deformation-Aware 6D Pose Estimation of Agricultural Produce](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.27429/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Due to labor shortage and rising labor cost for the apple industry, there is an urgent need for the development of robotic systems to efficiently and autonomously harvest apples. In this paper, we present a system overview and algorithm design of our recently developed robotic apple harvester prototype. Our robotic system is enabled by the close integration of several core modules, including visual perception, planning, and control. This paper covers the main methods and advancements in deep learning-based multi-view fruit detection and localization, unified picking and dropping planning, and dexterous manipulation control. Indoor and field experiments were conducted to evaluate the performance of the developed system, which achieved an average picking rate of 3.6 seconds per apple. This is a significant improvement over other reported apple harvesting robots with a picking rate in the range of 7-10 seconds per apple. The current prototype shows promising performance towards further development of efficient and automated apple harvesting technology. Finally, limitations of the current system and future work are discussed.