A pioneering raspberry-picking robot has been put through its paces in a “ground-breaking” agri-tech trial at a Norfolk fruit farm.
Place UK, based at Tunstead, near North Walsham, is hosting the trial in partnership with Fieldwork Robotics, which is developing “the world’s first autonomous raspberry harvesting robot”.
The “Fieldworker 1” is powered by AI-enhanced technology that allows it to detect berry ripeness more accurately than previous models. The company says the machine can gently gather the fragile fruit at the same speed and quality as human pickers.
And against a backdrop of steeply-rising labour costs and mounting difficulties in recruiting seasonal workers, it is hoped machines like this could reduce commercial fruit growers’ reliance on manual labour – as well as reducing wastage and improving production efficiencies.
Dan Yordanov is head of fresh at Place UK, which harvests around 400 tonnes of raspberries each year, from May to November.
He said: “New technology and innovations are constantly on our mind at Place UK, and we’re always interested to explore the benefits of new ways of working.
“Working with Fieldwork Robotics to trial their ground-breaking robotic raspberry picking technology has been fascinating and we are confident that the Fieldworker 1 will be an invaluable harvesting solution to growers in the future.
“Raspberries are notoriously difficult to harvest, as they can be so easily damaged during the picking process. Traditionally, only human pickers have been able to pick fruit with precision and efficiency.
“This new technology could be game-changing for our sector, avoiding wastage, quality and providing predictable harvesting costs.
“And as active members of Agri-TechE, we are working in partnership to identify new areas of technology and automation which we aim to be continually investing in – automation to ensure we’re always getting better and better.”
As part of soft fruit marketing group Driscoll’s, Place UK grows more than 100ha of strawberries, raspberries, cherries, blackberries and rhubarb destined for major supermarkets including Asda, M&S, Waitrose and Morrisons.
During the peak fruit-picking season, it employs up to 630 people.
Fieldwork says the goal of its technology is to “complement the existing workforce and enable growers to maintain production levels even when labour is scarce”.
Berry growers globally are facing unprecedented labour costs and a shortage of available fruit pickers. Significant amounts of raspberries are wasted as fruit is left unpicked.
Fieldwork says its technology reduces the harvesting cost per berry for growers, improving affordability as well as removing risks and reducing waste.
Fieldwork Robotics chief executive David Fulton said Place UK is “a natural partner” for the firm, adding: “They share our drive for ensuring a sustainable future for raspberry harvesting, so berries can stay on tables for generations to come.”
Fieldwork Robotics was originally established in 2016 as a spin-out from the University of Plymouth, and its UK base is now in Cambridge.
The company’s four-week trial programme in Norfolk is a continuation of previous UK field trials at Place UK.
The Fieldworker 1 has been working in a small trial area, designed to replicate the picking schedule and routine of a regular harvest picking team – measuring quality and any other impact on the final product.
The manufacturer says it is testing a range of software and hardware upgrades to optimise the robot’s performance in the field. To further enhance productivity, it will also begin collecting night harvesting data to explore the potential for extended operational hours.
Different base navigation systems are being used to evaluate the robot’s flexibility and efficiency across different platforms.
And the work done in this programme will also feed into a “techno-economic analysis” comparing robotic and human picking, says the firm.
