ABSTRACT
Harvesting fruits and vegetables has been a challenge. Mobile platforms for harvesting vegetables and fruits have been used, but with some limitations, such as their applicability for a certain time of the year and for a specific crop. A mobile platform was initially developed for harvesting fresh market tomatoes, mainly staked in Brazil. However, after field trials, many problems were identified, such as crop use limitation and machine structure problems. Therefore, the initial project was reformulated to assume different functions, with a retractable and smaller frame and the possibility of adding on other devices, expanding crop harvest and farm use. The concept of a hybrid vehicle with one electric power generator to drive all four wheels with electric motors was kept. The main goal of this article is to describe the development of the mobile platform machine structural details and integration of electrical, hydraulic, and mechanical project and field tests performed in a commercial orange orchard, comparing harvest types, evaluating yield and machine performance. Tests with the mobile laboratory prototype show its potential application to assist harvest and to other farm operations, especially due to its mobility. Harvest productivity through machine was higher, though not significantly different from manual harvest.
KEYWORDS
fruits and vegetables; harvesting aid; hybrid vehicle; multiuse
