Each year at the Consumer Electronics Show, agricultural robotics appears alongside developments in autonomous vehicles and artificial intelligence. A recurring question is whether robots are ready to replace farm labour. Discussion during a recent CES panel on robotics and autonomy suggested that full labour replacement is not the direction in which produce-sector automation is developing.
Panel participants highlighted that robotics gaining adoption in produce operations tends to address timing, movement, and workflow rather than attempting to automate complex biological tasks end-to-end. Produce systems operate under short harvest windows and narrow quality tolerances, meaning delays or labour gaps can lead to immediate value loss.
Automation that is finding traction typically targets these pressure points. Harvest-assist platforms, autonomous carts in berry production, and rolling systems in greenhouses are being adopted to reduce walking, lifting, and waiting time. These systems do not remove workers from the process but are designed to increase output per worker and reduce physical strain.
Charlie Andersen, chief executive of Burro, said: "The goal isn't to replace people. It's to take away the worst parts of the job so people can focus on the work that actually matters."
Another theme from the discussion was that automation in specialty crops is incremental. Tim Bucher, chief executive and cofounder of Agtonomy, noted: "In specialty crops, automation doesn't show up all at once. Growers adopt it step by step, where it fits into existing operations and actually solves a problem."
This approach aligns with current adoption patterns. Progress has been fastest in controlled environments such as greenhouses, where crop spacing, lighting, and logistics can be configured around machinery. Selective harvesting systems are being deployed in greenhouse strawberries and tomatoes, while the concept of a single, universal harvest robot has largely been set aside.
From an equipment manufacturer's perspective, John Deere described autonomy as a foundational layer. Ryan Krogh, global combine and FEE business manager at Deere, indicated that safe and reliable machine movement enables further automation over time across multiple use cases.
Beyond the field, packing-house automation continues to expand. Systems for grading, sorting, packing, and palletising are widely used due to controlled conditions and their impact on labour availability, quality uniformity, and waste reduction. Precision weeding and spraying technologies are also being integrated in response to regulatory, export, and workforce considerations.
For technology developers, the panel emphasised alignment with operational realities, reliability, and crop-specific design. For growers, current robotics adoption is centred on maintaining harvest timing, reducing losses, and stabilising production systems as labour markets tighten.
As Andersen summarised: "The best robots are the ones growers stop talking about because they just work."
Source: AFN
