We have been seeing harvesting robots in the fields for several decades now. However, the existing models fertilize, pick, and weed ripe crops with a metaphorical mallet rather than a velvet glove. Conventional agricultural robots have, therefore, so far been suitable for robust foods such as potatoes, cereals, or beetroot, but not for produce that requires a lighter touch. However, pilot projects show that modern robotics will change this in the coming years.
The latest generation of robots uses sensors, cameras, and AI software to carefully separate only ripe fruit from the plant. The picking robot from Floating Robotics manages to harvest tomatoes, for example, without damaging them in the process. At the same time, it has enough power to unfold fruit crates and transport them away for further processing. Its British brother from Fieldwork Robotics can even pick raspberries, which is a challenge even for humans. The use of mechanical helpers in greenhouses and fields can reduce both the carbon footprint of agriculture and the use of pesticides. However, researchers also want to get prepared, in the worst-case scenario, global warming cannot be stopped sufficiently.
What are the differences between agricultural robots and conventional harvesting robots?
To understand why conventional agricultural vehicles are too coarse-engined for raspberries and tomatoes, we first need to look at our fields. A harvesting machine for potatoes is called a potato harvester. It tosses potatoes into a collecting device after plowing the field. Modern versions can then immediately remove plant residues from the potatoes and then clean them thoroughly. Cameras and sensors are already being used here too.
Harvesting fields in this way has been possible with agricultural machinery for decades. Their development has gone from initial, purely mechanical harvesting tools to fully computerized machines. However, these machines have not yet been able to handle plants with enough sensitivity to not damage many during harvest or indeed to check whether they are even ready for harvest in the first place.
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