  Tree fruit growers around the world are facing labor shortages for critical
operations, including harvest and pruning. There is a great interest in
developing robotic solutions for these labor-intensive tasks, but current
efforts have been prohibitively costly, slow, or require a reconfiguration of
the orchard in order to function. In this paper, we introduce an alternative
approach to robotics using a novel and low-cost soft-growing robotic platform.
Our platform features the ability to extend up to 1.2 m linearly at a maximum
speed of 0.27 m/s. The soft-growing robotic arm can operate with a terminal
payload of up to 1.4 kg (4.4 N), more than sufficient for carrying an apple.
This platform decouples linear and steering motions to simplify path planning
and the controller design for targeting. We anticipate our platform being
relatively simple to maintain compared to rigid robotic arms. Herein we also
describe and experimentally verify the platform's kinematic model, including
the prediction of the relationship between the steering angle and the angular
positions of the three steering motors. Information from the model enables the
position controller to guide the end effector to the targeted positions faster
and with higher stability than without this information. Overall, our research
show promise for using soft-growing robotic platforms in orchard operations.
