Design, fabrication, and testing of a low-cost apple harvest-assist device

The apple industry is currently facing difficulties because apple production costs have been increasing continuously. Three factors contribute to this situation: close dependence on a large seasonal workforce, increasing labor cost, and decreasing availability of agricultural employees. To help the apple industry survive and thrive, a new apple harvest-assist unit has been designed and fabricated. Cost of the unit is a factor that is being considered during the design/fabrication of the new apple harvest-assist unit, as the final goal for this research is to commercialize the device. Lab and field tests were conducted on the unit during fall and winter of 2013. Field tests demonstrated that this low-cost apple harvest-assist device worked very well in the field. Major components causing apple bruising for this device were identified as distributor and collection bin. Tests also showed that the apple mass did not affect bruising area. Obtained results provided some critical information required for optimization of this apple harvest-assist unit.