Design and Fabrication of a 2D Plant Tending Gantry

A 2DOF, planar gantry system was designed, fabricated, and tested for use with trellised Phaseolus vulgaris plants. The system will allow an end effector consisting of a camera and plant tending tools to reach a large area of trellised plant for 3D scanning and tending; it may be placed on motorized wheels or track to increase the effective area without needing a much larger robot. By making use of readily available and/or 3D printed components, the gantry is inexpensive and can be readily deployed for large or small plant areas. The gantry is stepper motor driven with a nominal size of 1.5 meters long by 1 meter tall. A maximum payload of 6 kilograms allows it to carry a wide range of sensors and tending tools. Repeatability within one millimeter, and max speeds exceeding 25 centimeters per second in X and 5 centimeters per second in Y result in adequate repositioning capabilities for a robotic arm which tends to plants.