ARS researchers in East Lansing, MI in collaboration with Michigan State University, developed a new dual-arm harvesting robot to enhance fruit harvest efficiency and cost effectiveness. The new robot demonstrated up to a 34% improvement in harvesting efficiency, compared to the single-arm robot, with great potential for further performance enhancement.
Harvesting labor is the single largest cost in production of apples and other tree fruits. This new robot design provides a commercially viable solution to automated harvesting of apples, which is critical to the long-term sustainability and global competitiveness of the U.S. apple industry.
