IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jagris/v14y2024i9p1469-d1465781.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Innovative Designs for Cotton Bionic Topping Manipulator

Author

Listed:
  • Yang Xu

    (College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China
    Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Intelligent Agricultural Equipment, Urumqi 830052, China
    Xinjiang Intelligent Agricultural Machinery Equipment Engineering Technology Research Center, Urumqi 830052, China)

  • Changjie Han

    (College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China
    Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Intelligent Agricultural Equipment, Urumqi 830052, China
    Xinjiang Intelligent Agricultural Machinery Equipment Engineering Technology Research Center, Urumqi 830052, China)

  • Jing Zhang

    (College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
    Key Laboratory of on Site Processing Equipment for Agricultural Products, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hangzhou 310058, China)

  • Bin Hu

    (College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China)

  • Xu Ma

    (College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China)

  • Hanping Mao

    (College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China)

Abstract

Topping reduces the growing point at the top of cotton plants. This process enables the plant to allocate more energy and nutrients to fruit growth, thereby enhancing both the quantity and quality of the fruit. Current cotton-topping machinery often leads to over-topping, which can affect crop yield and quality. Manual topping is effective in controlling over-topping due to its adherence to agronomic requirements, but it is labor-intensive. This study integrated principles from biology (bionics) to design a manipulator that mimics the action of hand pinching during manual topping. Screening grids of different sizes were designed based on a statistical analysis of the biological parameters of cotton tops to optimize the topping process. A disc cam mechanism was developed to enable the automatic opening and closing of the manipulator. From the results, it was evident that the spring tension must exceed 81.5 N to properly cut the cotton stem near the top. The spacing of the screening grid (40 mm) and the position of the topping manipulator (less than 50 mm) were optimized based on experimental results. Performance testing showed promising results with a 100% topping rate. This study not only identified the challenges with current cotton-topping methods but also proposed a bionics-inspired solution; a bionic manipulator equipped with a screening grid was proposed to achieve high accuracy in cotton topping, which significantly reduced over-topping rates to 6.67%. These findings are crucial for advancing agricultural technology and improving efficiency in cotton cultivation.

Suggested Citation

  • Yang Xu & Changjie Han & Jing Zhang & Bin Hu & Xu Ma & Hanping Mao, 2024. "Innovative Designs for Cotton Bionic Topping Manipulator," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-23, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:14:y:2024:i:9:p:1469-:d:1465781
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/9/1469/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/9/1469/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yunfei Zhao & Zhong Tang & Shuren Chen, 2022. "Loading Model and Mechanical Properties of Mature Broccoli ( Brassica oleracea L. Var. Italica Plenck) Stems at Harvest," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-25, September.
    2. Md Nafiul Islam & Md Zafar Iqbal & Mohammod Ali & Milon Chowdhury & Md Shaha Nur Kabir & Tusan Park & Yong-Joo Kim & Sun-Ok Chung, 2020. "Kinematic Analysis of a Clamp-Type Picking Device for an Automatic Pepper Transplanter," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-17, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Xinwu Du & Zhihao Yun & Xin Jin & Pengfei Li & Kaihang Gao, 2023. "Design and Experiment of Automatic Adjustable Transplanting End-Effector Based on Double-Cam," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-15, April.
    2. Chuanxing Du & Weiquan Fang & Dianlei Han & Xuegeng Chen & Xinzhong Wang, 2024. "Design and Experimental Study of a Biomimetic Pod-Pepper-Picking Drum Based on Multi-Finger Collaboration," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-18, February.
    3. Bin Zhang & Xuegeng Chen & Huiming Zhang & Congju Shen & Wei Fu, 2022. "Design and Performance Test of a Jujube Pruning Manipulator," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-21, April.
    4. Chongyang Han & Jinhong Lv & Chengju Dong & Jiehao Li & Yuanqiang Luo & Weibin Wu & Mohamed Anwer Abdeen, 2024. "Classification, Advanced Technologies, and Typical Applications of End-Effector for Fruit and Vegetable Picking Robots," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-37, August.
    5. Yunlong Cao & Yao Yu & Zhong Tang & Yunfei Zhao & Xinyang Gu & Sifan Liu & Shuren Chen, 2023. "Multi-Tooth Cutting Method and Bionic Cutter Design for Broccoli Xylem ( Brassica oleracea L. var. Italica Plenck)," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-25, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:14:y:2024:i:9:p:1469-:d:1465781. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.