Fieldwork Robotics of the University of Plymouth has unveiled a robot that can pick more than 25 raspberries per day. The robot was developed by Dr. Martin Stolen, a professor of robotics at the University of Plymouth.
In order to “see” a ripe berry, the robot uses its cameras and sensors. Once he has identified a good raspberry to pick, the grabs (which can be compared to barbecue tongs) “grab” the berries and place them in the nearest basket.
The developers made sure that the machine does not damage the berries. The “claw” is equipped with soft pads on the “fingers” and pressure sensors that allow you to carefully remove delicate raspberries from the stalk and, without damaging them, put them in a special container.
The development of this technology took almost $ 900 thousand. Now the robot still has two arms, but it has to acquire two more. And then he will be able to pick more than 25 thousand berries a day, which is much more than the average of 15 thousand that a person can collect in an eight-hour shift, for example.
The new technology has the potential to help farmers address labor shortages and the rising cost of hiring pickers.
The developers say that Fieldwork plans to conduct more tests in the fall and use the obtained data to improve the technology. It is planned to start production of commercial vehicles in 2020.
Moreover, the Fieldwork Robotics company plans not to sell robots, but to lease them. It is assumed that renting a robotic picker will be “significantly more profitable” than hiring a human worker, who today earns about £ 1,5 (about $ 2) per kilogram of harvested berries.
And raspberries are just the beginning, as the developers assure, the robot will be able to successfully pick even less delicate berries. Work is already underway to collect tomatoes and cauliflower.