Summary: The Wood Removal prototypes established a robust method for detaching fruiting wood from apples immediately after picking to prevent damage in downstream conveyance. Early trials with a passive scraper and micro-roller belt showed limited success, leading to the development of an auger-based system that reliably removed attached wood while moving apples along the line. Through extensive testing of auger shapes, materials, and wear resistance, the team identified a smooth, 3-inch pitch silicone-coated design as the most durable and effective, achieving over 98% wood removal efficiency in both lab and field tests. The Stem Clipping Sprints focused on automating stem removal to keep pace with robotic harvesting rates far exceeding human capability. After testing several mechanical approaches, the counter-rotating and benchtop clipper systems emerged as viable solutions, integrating apple orientation and stem clipping at rates of one apple every two seconds. Iterative testing refined roller geometry, chain-driven transport, and clipping force mechanics, ultimately producing a prototypecapable of clean, repeatable cuts using about 22 lbf of force, comparable to manual tools. Together, these systems form the foundation for fully automated apple preparation ahead of binning in the 2025 Alpha Harvester.
