Single-Shot 6DoF Pose and 3D Size Estimation for Robotic Strawberry Harvesting

In this study, we introduce a deep-learning approach for determining both the 6DoF pose and 3D size of strawberries, aiming to significantly augment robotic harvesting efficiency. Our model was trained on a synthetic strawberry dataset, which is automatically generated within the Ignition Gazebo simulator, with a specific focus on the inherent symmetry exhibited by strawberries. By leveraging domain randomization techniques, the model demonstrated exceptional performance, achieving an 84.77% average precision (AP) of 3D Intersection over Union (IoU) scores on the simulated dataset. Empirical evaluations, conducted by testing our model on real-world datasets, underscored the model’s viability for real-world strawberry harvesting scenarios, even though its training was based on synthetic data. The model also exhibited robust occlusion handling abilities, maintaining accurate detection capabilities even when strawberries were obscured by other strawberries or foliage. Additionally, the model showcased remarkably swift inference speeds, reaching up to 60 frames per second (FPS).