Israeli agtech startup DailyRobotics is preparing to launch a robotic strawberry harvester in California next April. The Q2 unit is designed for field-grown strawberries and uses two robotic arms with soft grippers to remove fruit and place it directly into clamshells. Cofounder Adham Ghazali told AgFunderNews that current field performance is around 30 kg per hour, with hardware capable of reaching 50 kg per hour as software and cycle time are refined. One operator can oversee up to eight units.
The battery-powered harvester is built for plant beds between 2.2 and 4.6 feet wide and performs both harvesting and on-board grading. Each berry is imaged and assessed for size, surface defects, color maturity, and over-ripeness before being placed in the appropriate bin or clamshell. According to Ghazali, this closed-loop process supports consistent pack quality in the field. A dynamic perception system allows the robotic arm to search for fruit under foliage using an integrated camera.
© DailyRobotics
Strawberries remain a labor-intensive crop, and growers continue to face cost and availability pressures. Ghazali noted that in California, picking costs can reach US$43,000 per acre per year, with losses in some locations reaching up to 30 per cent of the crop. DailyRobotics is exploring a robotics-as-a-service model but is also open to selling units. The company aims to determine which approach aligns best with grower needs and operational economics.
California's long harvest window, with regional shifts throughout the year, would allow the units to be moved between production areas as needed.
DailyRobotics was founded in 2023 by Ghazali, Majed Jubeh, and Farah Jubran, whose backgrounds span robotics, AI, and engineering. Funding has come from the founders, a non-dilutive grant, and angel investors. The company is one of several entrants developing strawberry harvest automation. Other groups in the sector include L5, Harvest CROO Robotics, Agrobot, Organifarms, Fieldwork Robotics, Dogtooth Tech, and Tortuga AgTech, now part of Oishii.
These companies use varying methods for fruit removal. Some systems grip berries directly, while others cut stems and collect the fruit. Ghazali noted that stem-cutting systems may be better suited to greenhouse structures than open fields.
Most competitors remain in trial phases, with some focused on greenhouse or tabletop production and others, including DailyRobotics and Harvest CROO Robotics, focused on open-field crops.
Source: AgFunder News
