A Deep Reinforcement Learning Strategy Combining Expert Experience Guidance for a Fruit-Picking Manipulator

EasyDAM_V3: Automatic Fruit Labeling Based on Optimal Source Domain Selection and Data Synthesis via a Knowledge Graph

Although deep learning-based fruit detection techniques are becoming popular, they require a large number of labeled datasets to support model training. Moreover, the manual labeling process is time-consuming and labor-intensive. We previously implemented a generative adversarial network-based method to reduce labeling costs. However, it does not consider fitness among more species. Methods of selecting the most suitable source domain dataset based on the fruit datasets of the target domain remain to be investigated. Moreover, current automatic labeling technology still requires manual labeling of the source domain dataset and cannot completely eliminate manual processes. Therefore, an improved EasyDAM_V3 model was proposed in this study as an automatic labeling method for additional classes of fruit. This study proposes both an optimal source domain establishment method based on a multidimensional spatial feature model to select the most suitable source domain, and a high-volume dataset construction method based on transparent background fruit image translation by constructing a knowledge graph of orchard scene hierarchy component synthesis rules. The EasyDAM_V3 model can automatically obtain fruit label information from the dataset, thereby eliminating manual labeling. To test the proposed method, pear was used as the selected optimal source domain, followed by orange, apple, and tomato as the target domain datasets. The results showed that the average precision of annotation reached 90.94%, 89.78%, and 90.84% for the target datasets, respectively. The EasyDAM_V3 model can obtain the optimal source domain in automatic labeling tasks, thus eliminating the manual labeling process and reducing associated costs and labor.

Three-dimensional continuous picking path planning based on ant colony optimization algorithm

Fruit-picking robots are one of the important means to promote agricultural modernization and improve agricultural efficiency. With the development of artificial intelligence technology, people are demanding higher picking efficiency from fruit-picking robots. And a good fruit-picking path determines the efficiency of fruit-picking. Currently, most picking path planning is a point-to-point approach, which means that the path needs to be re-planned after each completed path planning. If the picking path planning method of the fruit-picking robot is changed from a point-to-point approach to a continuous picking method, it will significantly improve its picking efficiency. The optimal sequential ant colony optimization algorithm(OSACO) is proposed for the path planning problem of continuous fruit-picking. The algorithm adopts a new pheromone update method. It introduces a reward and punishment mechanism and a pheromone volatility factor adaptive adjustment mechanism to ensure the global search capability of the algorithm, while solving the premature and local convergence problems in the solution process. And the multi-variable bit adaptive genetic algorithm is used to optimize its initial parameters so that the parameter selection does not depend on empirical and the combination of parameters can be intelligently adjusted according to different scales, thus bringing out the best performance of the ant colony algorithm. The results show that OSACO algorithms have better global search capability, higher quality of convergence to the optimal solution, shorter generated path lengths, and greater robustness than other variants of the ant colony algorithm.

Improved Rapidly Exploring Random Tree with Bacterial Mutation and Node Deletion for Offline Path Planning of Mobile Robot

The path-planning algorithm aims to find the optimal path between the starting and goal points without collision. One of the most popular algorithms is the optimized Rapidly exploring Random Tree (RRT*). The strength of RRT* algorithm is the collision-free path. It is the main reason why RRT-based algorithms are used in path planning for mobile robots. The RRT* algorithm generally creates the node for randomly making a tree branch to reach the goal point. The weakness of the RRT* algorithm is in the random process when the randomized nodes fall into the obstacle regions. The proposed algorithm generates a new random environment by removing the obstacle regions from the global environment. The objective is to minimize the number of unusable nodes from the randomizing process. The results show better performance in computational time and overall path-planning length. Bacterial mutation and local search algorithms are combined at post-processing to get a better path length and reduce the number of nodes. The proposed algorithm is tested in simulation.