NSU Student Develops Tomato-Harvesting Robot
A production version of the machine is now under development.
Anton Vlasenko, a student at Novosibirsk State University, has developed a robot designed to harvest tomatoes in greenhouses. The machine is capable of picking tomatoes quickly while avoiding damage to the fruit.
The robot is built around a microcomputer running an algorithm trained on a large number of images of vegetables. The system can determine the ripeness of tomatoes and decide whether they are ready to be picked.
The harvesting mechanism is based on a robotic arm fitted with silicone grippers. The system can adjust its grip strength to avoid damaging the tomatoes.
According to the developer, work is now underway on a production version of the robot, which is expected to be deployed at one of the region's agricultural complexes.
