Due to their delicate nature, the primary method of harvesting strawberries has been by hand, until now.
WSU researchers develop AI robot picker
There have been attempts to pick strawberries by developing machines or robots, but it's been difficult because they 'hide' among the leaves and they're fragile.
But now according to Geekwire, WSU researchers have developed an AI-guided robot that detects and picks them by using a puff of air.
The air blows aside the leaves, and then soft silicone grippers pick the fruit. During recent field trials, the robot successfully picked at lest 3 of every four strawberries using it's system. The WSU robot uses an AI guided vision system, a fan system that gently blows the leaves away without harming the fruit, and silicone soft grippers to grab the