Study: Robots Can Help Cut Farm Labor Cost

University of Warwick scientists say robots are on the march into the last bastion of labor-intensive industry — farming and horticulture.

British research engineers and horticulture specialists at the university are working to devise a suite of robots and automated systems that could transform farming and horticulture during the next decade.

The researchers say they’re working on a number of robotics and automation products that will vastly reduce the labor costs of farmers and growers. Those projects include:

— A robotic mushroom picker: The robot uses a charged coupled camera to spot and select only mushrooms of an exact size, achieving levels of accuracy far in excess of human labor. While the speed of picking is currently just more than half that of a human, the robot can be set to pick continuously, 24 hours a day.

— An Inflatable Conveyor Belt: The system can be driven into an open field or covered growing area. Within minutes up to 325 feet of powered conveyor belt can be deployed, allowing crops to be processed at high speed straight to cool storage, washing, or simply sorting and grading while still in the field.