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This study introduces a Vision-to-Force (V2F) framework that predicts safe grasp forces for robotic handling of date fruits, addressing the challenges of high detachment forces and low bruise thresholds. By combining mechanical characterization with a physics-informed neural network, the model effectively maps visual descriptors and cultivar metadata to predict grasp forces, achieving a mean validation performance of $R^2 \approx 0.7$. Experimental results confirm that the predicted forces allow for stable manipulation with minimal deformation and no damage, demonstrating a significant advancement in safe robotic handling of delicate fruits.
Vision-driven force estimation can replace slow tactile exploration, enabling robots to handle fragile date fruits without damage.
This paper presents a vision-informed grasp force prediction framework for robotic handling of date fruits. Addressing the dual challenge of high detachment forces and low bruise thresholds, we first conduct mechanical characterization on date samples to define a safe grasping envelope and quantify the relationship between fruit geometry and bioyield stress. In this work, we develop a Vision-to-Force (V2F) pipeline that combines computer vision-based segmentation, active-contour refinement, and geometric feature extraction with a physics-informed residual neural network that augments a Hertz contact equation. The resulting model maps non-contact visual descriptors and cultivar metadata to predict a safe grasp force with mean validation performance of $R^2 \approx 0.7$ across unseen cultivar groups, which is a good result given the inherent mechanical variability of biological tissue. Experimental validation using a gripper and load cell indicates that the predicted forces enable stable manipulation of different types of date fruits, with residual deformations below 1 mm and no observable damage. These results show that pre-emptive, vision-driven force estimation% can replace slow and potentially damaging tactile exploration , enabling safer robotic handling of fragile fruits.
