Yesterday the Brabant asparagus grower Ad Vermeer demonstrated a robot which harvests asparagus fully automatically.
The asparagus robot during a test
Measuring
The Enschede technology company Demcon developed the robot in the Twent TechForFuture project together with Saxion college. The basis for the concept is Ad Vermeer's method, which can measure when the asparagus are above the sand with a radar and are so ripe for harvesting. The SRE (Partnership Eindhoven Region) contributed to this with a subsidy. Demcon signed for the mechanics and electronics and Saxion developed a system to lead the harvesting mechanism to the right place. The sharvesting unit works the asparagus loose underground and pulls the vegetable out of the bed. Because the robot stops, harvests and continues, the tractor can continue to move.
60,000 manual labourers less
Ad Vermeer: "The machine cover a hectare per hour and replaces 10 people with this. I calculated that my system requires 60,000 less manual labourers if it's applied worldwide. Luckily, better jobs in the high tech industry will replace this loss. It is also becoming increasingly difficult for growers to find these employees. They have to get them from further and further into Eastern Europe. In the end the machine also reduces waste. Due to its precision the number of failed asparagus is also strongly reduced."
On the market within two years
The robot will cost around half a million Euro and Vermeer expects his company Cerescon to make around 30 million Euro turnover every year. He doesn't yet know where the production will take place but Demcon director Dennis Schipper says that his company is on the market for it. Vermeer also emphasises that the robot is still in the developing phase and not year for sale. "We expect to market the asparagus robot within two years."