Functional analysis as a conceptual instrument for studying and developing new farm-implements. An application to the design of a hand-tool for collecting kaki fruits

A novel design-approach for studying and developing new farm-implements or tools is illustrated here, describing the different steps and its main conceptual instrument: the functional analysis (FA). In the present case (concerning the tools for fruit-harvesting), the FA was used to prepare a multidimensional matrix of the technical requirements; the same matrix was then used to classify the current design-requirements, verify any preexisting solution normally present in commercial tools. The method is therefore applied to a first prototype of a hand-tool for collecting kaki fruits, usable also with very ripe fruits (i.e., ready to be eaten). It has been decided to undertake the design of a tool to harvest kakis due to the remarkable difficulties the picker has usually to face with the manipulation of these particularly-delicate fruits (including the phases of abscission, interception/grasping of fruits and adduction to the operator). The designed tool resulted to be very practical to be used, cheap and effective in ensuring the product integrity during the harvesting.