# Optimal Scheduling of a Dual-Arm Robot for Efficient Strawberry Harvesting in Plant Factories

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.04240 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.04240/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 6 Jul 2025.

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [From Vision to Harvest: Benchmarking Vision-Language Models for Multi-Arm Robotic Fruit Harvesting](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.13606/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Plant factory cultivation is widely recognized for its ability to optimize resource use and boost crop yields. To further increase the efficiency in these environments, we propose a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) framework that systematically schedules and coordinates dual-arm harvesting tasks, minimizing the overall harvesting makespan based on pre-mapped fruit locations. Specifically, we focus on a specialized dual-arm harvesting robot and employ pose coverage analysis of its end effector to maximize picking reachability. Additionally, we compare the performance of the dual-arm configuration with that of a single-arm vehicle, demonstrating that the dual-arm system can nearly double efficiency when fruit densities are roughly equal on both sides. Extensive simulations show a 10-20% increase in throughput and a significant reduction in the number of stops compared to non-optimized methods. These results underscore the advantages of an optimal scheduling approach in improving the scalability and efficiency of robotic harvesting in plant factories.