DESIGN AND EXPERIMENT OF AN INTEGRATED AUTOMATIC TRANSPLANTING SYSTEM WITH A FLEXIBLE END-EFFECTOR FOR PLUG SEEDLINGS

Abstract

Automatic transplanting of plug seedlings is critical for improving agricultural efficiency. However, existing systems often suffer from functional fragmentation and use rigid end-effectors prone to damaging seedlings. This study presents a fully integrated automatic transplanting system that uniquely combines multi-tray storage and conveying, precise step-moving, manipulator-based picking and placing with a novel flexible end-effector, and automatic tray collection. In experiments using pepper seedlings, conducted over repeated trials (n=5) with 576 seedlings per trial, the integrated system achieved a picking success rate of 93.24% and a damage rate of 1.43%, with a maximum conveying positioning deviation of 1.79 mm. Compared with previously reported transplanting systems, the proposed system achieves a superior success rate while delivering a substantially lower seedling damage rate. This research provides a practical, highly integrated solution for small-to-medium scale nurseries.