Self-guided blossom picking device

A device for removing inflorescence from a field-grown plant comprising:

• a picker comprising at least one cutter movable side-to-side in a horizontal plane relative to a forward direction of the device traversing a field;
• a machine vision system comprising:
• an image capture device for capturing image data of at least one plant, and
• a machine vision module capable of identifying the inflorescence in the image data;
• and
• a controller comprising a planning module that determines a pre-determined path for the cutter to optimize inflorescence removal when multiple inflorescences are identified in the image data,
• wherein the controller receives a location of the inflorescence from the machine vision system,
• wherein the controller coordinates a movement of the picker to the location accounting for a speed of the device as the device traverses the field, the location of the inflorescence, and a maximum acceleration of the picker, and
• wherein the controller actuates the cutter to remove at least a portion of the inflorescence.