Robot technology is leading the horticulture sector into the future

Good Fruit and Vegetables report this week on the latest development in robotics for the pome industry

Looking like something out of a science fiction movie, and they are revolutionising horticultural production overseas. The future of the fruit industry is happening in Chile, where apples are being picked by robots driven by artificial intelligence. The technology results from a partnership between Tevel, an Israeli robotics startup, and Unifrutti, one of the leading global players in the fresh fruit market.

Tevel's autonomous harvesting system was deployed in Unifrutti Chile's apple orchards from March to May, harvesting several varieties of apples and efficiently picking the highest quality fruit.

Tevel's autonomous harvesting technology addresses workforce issues by utilising advanced Flying Autonomous Robots for precise, gentle, and efficient fruit picking. AI, computer vision, and machine learning algorithms power the robots.

The harvesting system features eight Flying Autonomous Robots mounted on a ground harvesting platform. Throughout the harvesting operations, Tevel made significant strides in the overall system performance and selective picking to ensure the harvesting of the highest quality fruit. The fruits picked by the robots and delivered to onboard bins were subsequently sent to Unifrutti's packing facility for detailed data analysis, demonstrating the system's ability to successfully perform selective picking and minimise bruising.