A team of researchers from the Universidad Privada Antenor Orrego (UPAO) managed to field test a mobile robot to optimize the harvesting of blueberries, which has the ability to count, detect, and project the degree of maturity of the fruit in the bush, through artificial intelligence algorithms.
The main function of this autonomous and remote-controlled prototype is to sample the development of the fruit bunches in the field using different techniques, stated Sixto Prado Gardini, the head of this research.
This data is sent to the management of the company so they can plan the harvest period: the number of day laborers, logistics, transport, materials, and tools necessary for this work. This guarantees the quality of the product and the optimization of resources.
The first field test, which was carried out in the Danper agro-industrial company, demonstrated the validity and effectiveness of this robot in favor of blueberry production and better business management, Prado Gardini stated.
“We have interacted directly and in-depth in Danper. Other companies have expressed their interest in our design and have visited our university campus, where they were given a demonstration of the robot; all were pleasantly impressed and interested in it,” he said.
This project was started in February of 2021 and should be completed in December of 2023. It is being carried out with $/ 200,000 in funds from Concytec.
Source: redagricola.com