Design and Testing of a Swing-Type Intra-Row Weeding End Effector

Vegetables are an essential part of our daily diet, but weeds have a significant negative impact on their growth. Currently, field weeding operations are mainly performed manually or by spraying herbicides. However, manual weeding is labor-intensive, and chemical weeding poses pollution problems. To address these issues and meet the actual demands of intra-row weeding based on the characteristics of weed growth in fields, we designed a single-motor-driven swing-type intra-row weeding end effector. This design aims to achieve efficient, pollution-free weeding operations. The end effector was biomimetically designed based on the mole’s foreclaws to achieve improved digging performance. The design underwent simulation analysis, and the intra-row weeding robot system was built and tested. Results indicate that the weeding end effector meets the actual work requirements, featuring high coverage, low intrusion, and a simple, reliable structure.