Semi-Automatic Cotton Harvester

Remote-controlled cotton harvesting system integrating mechanical picking, robotics, and IoT for consistent yields.

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Overview

Designed and developed a remote-controlled semi-automatic cotton harvesting system to boost productivity for agronomists and farmers. Combined mechanical harvesting hardware, embedded control, and IoT connectivity to handle variable plant heights and limited labor.

Problem

Manual harvesting is labor-intensive, time-critical, and sensitive to plant height/field variability. Productivity and consistency suffer when harvest windows are narrow or labor is limited.

Solution

Built an integrated system capable of remote operation with damage-free picking, adaptive height control, and field mobility. Embedded control and wireless monitoring ensured reliable operation and visibility of yield collection.

My Role

• Solely owned mechanical design, electronics, control architecture, and IoT integration
• Designed end-effector, manipulator, and chassis from scratch
• Integrated microcontrollers and wireless communication; performed system tests and iterations

System Architecture

• Control: Remote-controlled operation
• Microcontrollers: ATmega2560 (low-level) + Raspberry Pi (coordination)
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi communication
• Mechanical subsystems: Cotton-picking end-effector; manipulator for height/position; chassis for agricultural terrain

Key Engineering Challenges

• Handling plant-height variability across fields
• Maintaining efficiency during short harvest windows
• Designing a picking mechanism that minimizes crop damage
• Ensuring reliable remote operation with integrated control/IoT

Validation and Outcome

Ran extended field trials, benchmarked against manual harvesting, and achieved a verified 40% productivity improvement. Delivered a fully functional prototype applicable to small, medium, and large-scale farms.

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