Systems and methods for automated produce grading and sorting using machine vision and robotics

A system for automated produce grading and sorting using machine vision and robotics, the system comprising:

• a robotic frame comprising at least an actuated arm;
• a machine-vision system comprising at least a camera, the machine-vision system communicatively connected to a computing device;
• and
• the computing device comprising at least a processor and a memory communicatively connected to the at least a processor, the memory storing instructions configuring the at least a processor to:
• receive image data from the at least a camera, the image data comprising at least two captured viewpoints of a produce item;
• extract at least an object-level visual feature from the image data using a machine vision model;
• assign a defect classification label to the produce item as a function of the at least an object-level visual feature, wherein assigning the defect classification label to the produce item further comprises:
• identifying a defect type as a function of the at least an object-level visual feature;
• comparing the at least an object-level visual feature to a defect-specific threshold;
• and
• outputting the defect classification label as a function of comparing the at least an object-level visual feature to the defect-specific threshold;
• and
• control the at least an actuated arm to perform a handling operation on the produce item as a function of the defect classification label.