Florida strawberry farmers using robots to pick fruit, control mildew
APRIL 18, 2019 / 4:32 AM
By Paul Brinkmann
ORLANDO, Fla., April 18 (UPI) -- Florida strawberry growers are investing heavily in robots to pick their crops and control disease, partly in response to declining farm laborer immigration.
Strawberry farmer Gary Wishnatzki has been developing robotic picking machines, named Berry, for seven years. And the University of Florida's agriculture research teams in the Tampa area recently unveiled a spaceship-looking robot, named Thorvald, that roams fields at night bathing plants with ultraviolet light to kill powdery mildew.
The robots, which are being refined, move slowly through the fields. The UV robot runs quietly on battery power. The picking robot is more powerful, operating on a small diesel engine that energizes electric components. The current version of the machine spans four beds, with two rows each. Sixteen robotic picking wheels use soft silicone rubber claws that gently pluck ripe berries.
"The robotic unit definitely catches a lot of attention. It's cool and has interest from technologists, and robotics save on labor cost," said Natalia Peres, a professor of plant pathology at the university who has been developing Thorvald.
More:
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2019/04/18/Florida-strawberry-farmers-using-robots-to-pick-fruit-control-mildew/4851555518101/?utm_source=onesignal