Fieldwork Robotics and Bosch developing robot raspberry picker

Bosch UK will collaborate with Fieldwork’s engineers to optimise the company’s soft robotic arms and develop software aimed at reducing the arms’ cost and increasing their speed.

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Fieldwork Robotics is initially focused on developing robots to harvest raspberries as they are more delicate, more easily damaged than other soft fruits, and grow on bushes with complex foliage and berry distribution. Fieldwork, together with Plymouth University, is also developing proof-of-concept robots for other crops following interest from multinational agribusinesses.

According to Dr Martin Stoelen, a lecturer in robotics at Plymouth University and head of the Soft and Adaptive Robotics lab, the robot has different cameras with different functions.

“The ‘global’ cameras identify the fruits whilst the ‘local’ cameras support the final stages of the harvesting,” he said.

Software-based AI-visualisation techniques then help the robot identify those raspberries which meet the standards set by supermarkets in terms of ripeness, size, colour and other parameters, added Stoelen, who is also an Associate Professor at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences.