At present, the residual film recovery device needs to stop artificially and adjust repeatedly for its groundbreaking depth and rolling speed based on actual situation during the work. It often leads to low levels of mechanization and efficiency. In order to improve intelligence and efficiency of the plastic film recovery unit, the subject takes the elastic tooth residual film recovery device of existing independently developed as the research object. BECKHOFF CX2030 controller and the module were used to collect the data of each sensor in real time and control the operation of the servo motor. Then through the Ethernet interface which based on EtherCAT bus and the GPRS network, it can realize the film shovel automatic lifting adjustment, the film cutting speed online detection, the residual film recovery online visual feedback, the data transmission and monitoring. Through the structure design, theoretical analysis and experimental verification of the intelligent film shovel, the inclination angle of the blade was obtained as 65° to 75°, the safety ground breaking depth was 20mm to 50mm. The application of image technology and computer simulation software was conducive to the realtime feedback of residual film legacy and scientific calculation of residual film recovery rate and operating efficiency. The field experiment in sandy loam soil of potato ridge using the intelligent residual film recovery device based on EtherCAT & GPRS showed that, the effect of the residual film recovery operations was significant in the intelligent level and residual film recovery rate, and the overall level of the device was greatly improved. The successful research and development of the device will greatly promote the residual film recovery to multifunction, intelligence, digitization and automation.