Robots that automatically harvest fruits such as apples at almost the same speed as humans have been developed using artificial intelligence technology, and are expected to reduce the burden on farmers who are aging and labor shortages.
The robot was developed by a project consisting of the National Research Institute Agricultural Research Organization, Ritsumeikan University, and Denso, an automobile parts manufacturer.
The robot is pulled by a self-driving golf cart to move through the fields, and three claws attached to two arms grab and harvest fruits such as apples and pears.
Using artificial intelligence technology, the camera captures the coloring and other factors to determine if the fruit is suitable for harvesting.
It takes about 11 seconds to harvest one fruit, which is about the same speed as a human being.
Shinnosuke Kusaba of the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization said, "We would like to make further improvements so that young people will be attracted to the fruit tree production site, which is aging and labor shortages are advancing." ..