Mechanical harvesting robot received attention at Macfrut

This robot can be used to harvest vegetables as well as strawberries.

Of the many Chinese stands seen at Macfrut, there was one that attracted particular attention. It was the stand of Suzhou Botian Automatic Technology, represented by manager Pengbo Wang.

On top of the fully-automated and remotely-controlled atomiser, we were particularly impressed by a video on a harvesting robot. According to Wang, it works perfectly and means there is no need for labour. As there is no shortage of cheap labour in China, this technology is of course aimed at foreign clients.

"This robot can be used to harvest vegetables as well as strawberries. It is equipped with a camera that can assess ripening with a precision of 92%. The cutting system has a precision of 90%. The bionic hand is coated with a soft material so as not to damage the produce."

The robot is also equipped with a Gps system, so it can move autonomously. It was first presented a few years ago and was then gradually improved. Both the state TV and People's newspaper talked about it with enthusiasm.

It has a positioning system with binocular vision, four levels of handling autonomy, flexible handler, autonomous movements, automatic obstacle avoidance, voice alarm, possibility to set speed, real-time battery and technical data feedback, 92% camera accuracy, 90% harvesting accuracy, fruit damage within 5%, possibility to improve its technical characteristics.