automatic harvesting robot seeks to solve japan’s labor shortage problem

BELL PEPPER HARVESTING ROBOT L

Japanese company AGRIST is developing a farm robot that seeks to solve the problem of labor shortage in agricultural harvesting. Developed in collaboration with the farmers of Shintomi town, Miyazaki prefecture, where agriculture is flourishing, the automatic bell pepper harvesting robot L weighs 16kg and can operate continuously for four hours with one battery charge. Contrary to most existing robots in the sector, which run on the ground, L moves on a wire that is installed inside the greenhouse. this eliminates the need for a rail on the ground and allows for a simplified construction and easier overall operation.

all images courtesy of AGRIST

NEW AGRICULTURAL METHODS WITH AI

AGRIST’s L robot cuts off bell peppers with high accuracy and speed of about 28 seconds under ideal conditions, while the range of directions it can cut is 180 degrees. The robot moves on a suspended wire inside the greenhouse, allowing it to easily move past obstacles, such as mud or fallen leaves. additionally, it automatically cuts off excess stems at the same time as harvesting, reducing the duration of the entire process. 

the automatic harvesting robot is part of AGRIST and the local farmers’ joint research on new agricultural methods (cultivation methods, tailoring methods, etc.) that incorporate robots. complete with artificial intelligence technology, L collects and accumulates image data of green peppers in various states. in this way, AI aims to provide services that analyze the data in the future, warn of diseases and predict the yield.

AGRIST has established a new greenhouse in japan, optimized for automatic harvesting robots, as its own test field. this allows the company to tests its robots easier, make improvements faster than ever, and contribute to  solving agricultural issues as soon as possible for farmers.

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project info:

company: AGRIST