New raspberry harvesting bot works ‘at same speed and quality’ as humans

Fieldwork Robotics is promising raspberry harvesting at the same speed and quality as human pickers with its new Fieldworker 1 robot.

Fieldworker 1 is an enhanced model that allows more accurate detection of berry ripeness and a heightened picking speed, and builds on recent advancements facilitated through the Innovate UK-backed Berry Bot and Berry AI projects.

The use of AI technology allows Fieldworker 1 to detect berry ripeness more accurately than previous models. It uses spectral frequency to remove any human bias from the analysis of berry ripeness, and the expectation is “to harvest without compromising on quality”.  

Fieldworker 1 will have the capacity to work in a fleet, with one operator running multiple robots across the field, thus significantly reducing the labour intensity of the harvesting process and improving harvesting efficiency.

The UK-based company says the new robot provides growers with a predictable cost per berry, enabling them to augment human labour while better managing their operating costs and overall profit margins.

Fieldwork founder and chief science officer Martin Stoelen said: “Our newest model is the height of next-generation autonomous harvesting. From our first-ever model developed back in 2016, we have made huge progress in the development of our technology. Our expertise in autonomous agricultural robots has allowed us to craft a sophisticated, cutting-edge robotic system that is of significant benefit to growers operating in the fresh raspberry industry.”

Collaboration with Costa Group

In other news, Fieldwork announced that it is working with Costa Group, a major Australian producer of fresh fruit and vegetables. The agreement will see Fieldwork’s robots deployed for trials at Costa berry farms over the next 12 months, with field trials taking place from Q1 2025.

“The progress we have made over the last 18 months has been extraordinary,” said Fieldwork CEO David Fulton. ”Partnerships with industry-leading companies like Costa Group are a testament to the hard work of our team, the quality of our product, and the effectiveness of our solution, which solves a real-world problem for growers.

”Fieldwork is strengthening our offering to growers operating in the fresh raspberry industry. We have secured a healthy pipeline of contracts with some of the world’s largest berry growers operating in our target markets, Australia and the US, and I am confident that we will continue to deliver to our customers.”