Member-only story
Berry — Picking Robots
Over the years human laborers have not been available to perform back breaking work, like berry picking. Some of the larger farms have invested in robots to do the work.
A robot can pick fruit from one plant in ten seconds and cover 8 acres in a day. It would take 30 human workers to accomplish the same amount. Not only do robots have a gentler touch than a human they also only pick the ripe berries.
One robot eliminates 40% of the fuel that a tractor would use, and less carbon emissions released into our environment. Any help to eliminate global warming is a win.
Marina Barnes, chief marketing officer for Farmers Edge, said, “According to a 2017survey, up to 93% of farms larger than 1,000 acres are using some form of precision ag.“
Strawberry picker named “ Berry 5” is the most advanced agricultural system available. “Berry 5” cost over $10 million and took five years to develop.
The robot named “Berry 5” is as big as a bus! That would be a sight to see while it picked berries.
I would like a robot to wash my dishes and vacuum my floors. Maybe they are already invented. I’ll have to check into that.
Until we meet again.
Behar, Michael. “Down on the Smart Farm.” Eating Well, Oct. 2019, pp. 104–05.
