Improved version of ‘Robocrop’ only picks ripe raspberries
Fonte: The Guardian
Exclusive: Developers say the Fieldworker robot will soon be in use in the UK, Australia and Portugal.
A new version of the world’s first raspberry-picking robot, a four-armed machine powered by artificial intelligence and able to do the job at the speed and effectiveness of a human, is to be employed on farms in the UK, Australia and Portugal over the coming 12 months.
The developers claim that Fieldworker 1, nicknamed Robocrop, can detect more accurately than previous models whether a berry is ripe, and can pick fruit faster because its grippers have greater reach and flexibility.
Developed in less than a year by Fieldwork Robotics, a spinout from the University of Plymouth, the machine is being already being trialled at berry farms in England and Portugal; Australian tests will begin soon.
The British Berry Growers group has warned that two-fifths of growers of strawberries and raspberries could go out of business by the end of 2026 because of rising costs and supermarkets squeezing supplier prices. If problems are not tackled, the industry body has warned of “a future massive reduction in the supply of fresh British berries”.