An Israeli tech start-up has successfully developed a “robot worker” system capable of completely replacing humans in fruit harvesting during the harvest season.
Flying Robots are expected to be a lifesaver for the seasonal labor crisis that is challenging fruit growers and harvesters around the globe.
Flying robots can replace human labor in fruit harvesting.
These “farmer robots” can hover above tree rows, observe, and perform tasks such as picking apples, digging, pears, or any other type of fruit by gently rotating their arms designed with a suction force strong enough to securely hold the fruit into a funnel before carefully placing it into designated collection bins.
The flying robots are equipped with a special system that allows them to operate continuously without the fear of running out of power. They can work tirelessly day or night, in any weather conditions, without complaints, without needing food or coffee breaks, and without concerns about housing or work permits…
Moreover, they are fitted with cameras to accurately assess the size and color of each fruit, only selecting those that are fully ripe and ready for harvest. Farmers are also updated directly and continuously about the harvesting progress, completion time, the number of fruits picked, as well as estimated costs and profits for each batch of fruit.
Robots can accurately assess the condition of the fruit to decide whether to harvest or not. (Photo: Tevel Tech).
According to the technology news agency No Camels, Tevel Aerobotics Technologies (TAT), a start-up from Israel, has developed the world’s first fully automated flying robot for fruit harvesting, which promises to make the harvest season easier for farmers.
Yaniv Maor, the founder and CEO of TAT, stated that finding enough labor for fruit harvesting during peak seasons has always been a challenging issue for any farm owner.
In many cases, fruit rots and spoils on the trees simply because there aren’t enough pickers available. This accounts for about 10% of the total fruit that needs to be harvested globally. Moreover, the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the situation, as lockdowns have prevented migrant workers from traveling to work in other countries.
“Now is the time for robots to take on the role of solving this difficult problem,” Mr. Yaniv Maor confidently stated.
Mr. Yaniv Maor, founder and CEO of TAT. (Photo: Tevel Tech).
Mr. Maor decided to establish Tevel in 2017 to develop software, artificial intelligence, and algorithms that provide solutions for using fruit-picking robots for farmers. Since then, the company has continuously grown, currently employing 60 staff and attracting over $30 million in product development funding through various rounds of investment.
These helpful robots are currently being deployed in several regions of Israel, Italy, the USA, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, and a few other Asian countries. Japan and China are also two promising markets that the company is targeting.
Robots capable of automatic fruit harvesting developed by Israel. (Video: Tevel Aerobotics Technologies).
