Next-Generation Strawberry-Picking Robots Trialled on Tiptree Farm

Researchers from the University of Essex, led by Dr Vishwanathan Mohan, are trialling next-generation strawberry-picking robots on a Tiptree farm. The £1m project, funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, aims to address labour shortages in the agricultural sector. The robots use artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify, pick, and package ripe strawberries in mere seconds, and have already shown promising results.

Key Takeaways:

• The £1m project, led by Dr Vishwanathan Mohan from the University of Essex, is trialling next-generation strawberry-picking robots on a Tiptree farm, aiming to solve labour shortages across the agricultural sector.
• The robots, costing around £20,000 to build, use artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify, pick, and package ripe strawberries in mere seconds.
• The second-generation robot has retained its performance level while reusing the 'vision-action-decision-making' software from the original, with the plan to build five strawberry-picking robots by 2027.
• Dr Mohan aims to bring the cost of an outdoor rover for AgriTech applications to the same price as a laptop, making cutting-edge agri-robotics accessible to everyone around the world.
• The project has resulted in the creation of AgriTech spin-out company Versatile RobotX, co-founded by Dr Mohan.

Statistics:

• £1m: The total funding for the project, provided by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
• £20,000: The cost of building the second-generation strawberry-picking robot.
• 2027: The target year for building five strawberry-picking robots.
• 5: The number of strawberry-picking robots planned to be built by 2027.
• 10%: The reduction in cost of second-generation robots compared to the first-generation prototype.

Sources:

• University of Essex
• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
• Wilkin and Sons
• Dr Vishwanathan Mohan
• Versatile RobotX